Ground broken on $95M building at Argonne

Ground has been broken for a $95 million Energy Sciences Building on the campus of Argonne National Laboratory in suburban Chicago.

The Herald-News reports that U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Energy Secretary Steven Chu attended the Friday groundbreaking. Durbin said we need to "invest in science and innovation" so the U.S. can remain a world leader.

Durbin says the new facility will let hundreds of "the best minds" in the U.S. meet to lead energy research. Chu says the building will help in the development of energy alternatives, like cheaper battery-operated vehicles.

The project is scheduled to be finished in 2003. It will provide about 1,700 construction jobs.

Argonne is one of the oldest and largest national laboratories run by the U.S. Department of Energy.