BOISE — Several Idaho lawmakers formed the Energy and Technology Caucus this week in Boise to promote broader awareness among state legislators about Idaho National Laboratory west of Idaho Falls.

“I realized there is just so much going on out there that people are not aware of,” said Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Ammon, who organized the caucus on Tuesday.

Other members of the group include Sen. Mark Nye, D-Pocatello; Rep. Britt Raybould, R-Rexburg; Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls; and Rep. Rob Mason, D-Boise.

Nye noted that the accomplishments of the INL site include building a power source that runs the Curiosity rover on Mars, among other projects.

“It’s a battery built by Idahoans and it’s up on Mars,” Nye said.

He also says that many of the thousands of employees at INL live in the Bannock County area.

“It’s one of the largest employers in the state and economically it’s a huge thing,” Nye said.

Horman said the caucus will seek to update other legislators on the activities and impact of the site for East Idaho and the state at large.

“We’re working together to make sure this is just an opportunity for our colleagues in the Legislature to learn more about energy issues, biofuels and cybersecurity,” she said.

Horman says INL, which is the sixth largest private employer in the state, has over 4,300 employees earning good wages. Secondary effects add thousands more jobs, according to a study.

The site’s direct spending is over $1 billion and the total economic impact for the state is over $2 billion, she said.

“That’s important not just to Southeast Idaho,” she said, “it’s important to the entire state.”

She says the new caucus has drawn strong interest from legislators.

“We’ve had a really positive response — people just want to know when the first meeting is,” she said.

The caucus plans to have a luncheon on Feb. 7.

Horman says plans are to try to have guest speakers at the luncheons. She also hopes they’ll have a chance for other legislators to visit locations in the Boise area that deal with technology, as well as tour INL.

She said the plan for NuScale’s small modular nuclear reactors also presents an opportunity for Southeast Idaho.

It’s estimated that the NuScale project during the construction phase would have a fiscal impact of over $36 million and employ about 2,000 people, Horman said. And after construction, it would employ about 360 people on a continuing basis at high wages.

“These are good jobs,” Horman said. “These are the kinds of jobs we want in Southeast Idaho.”