PORTSMOUTH — Dr. Terry Johnson, candidate for State Representative in Ohio’s 89th District, completed an extensive tour of the USEC facilities on Sept. 11.

Following the tour, Johnson emphasized the plant’s importance to the local economy, referencing statistics that over 50 percent of all USEC employees live in Scioto, Lawrence, or Adams Counties.

Johnson described the purpose of his visit by stating, “The reason I came out here was to get a better understanding of USEC. I grew up in the shadow of the plant. My father worked there for over 40 years. I wanted to take my prior knowledge and put it together with the facts I learned on this trip.”

“Not only is this facility an asset for jobs and clean energy,” Johnson stated, “It’s a point of national pride.” He went on to compare the facility to the Hoover Dam and other great engineering projects of the past, saying “it is a strategic national asset right here in our community, and if utilized properly, it could help revitalize our entire economy.”

Johnson is supportive of USEC’s planned American Centrifuge Project, which would create 8,000 jobs in six states including 3,300 in Ohio.

He said the jobs that would be created are “long-term, good jobs” that would invigorate the tax base and give schools more money.

Although President Barack Obama had promised to support USEC’s Centrifuge Project as a candidate, the federal government denied a loan guarantee which would make the plans a reality before agreeing to further review their application.

Johnson is a three-time elected county coroner, practicing physician, educator with Ohio University, and veteran of the conflict in Iraq and the broader Global War on Terrorism.

The 89th District, in which he is a candidate, is comprised of all of Scioto County as well as the eastern half of Adams and the western half of Lawrence.

Johnson is unopposed in the Republican Primary.