The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP/Bureau) is moving forward with locating its new facility in Beltsville, Prince George’s County.
The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP/Bureau), an agency of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, is moving forward with locating its new facility in Beltsville, Prince George’s County. The 104-acre site, located at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), has been officially transferred to the Department of the Treasury, where it will house a new state-of-the-art and environmentally conscious production facility to print U.S. paper currency and other federal security products.
The Bureau is currently in the design stage of the project and plans to wrap up design development by summer 2023. Construction of the new facility—which is being managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Baltimore District—is anticipated to be completed by early 2027, with currency production starting mid-year. The BEP expects to house at least 850 workers on site, with 600 additional employees working remotely.
According to Governor Hogan’s press release:
“Over the past three years, the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the state of Maryland have worked closely on evaluating the potential for this Beltsville facility and determining how we can best work together to make this project successful,” said Governor Hogan. “Learning that the land has been transferred is another step in the right direction for moving this project forward. We look forward to seeing the Bureau and its hundreds of employees call Maryland home.” . . .
“County Executive Angela Alsobrooks has been a consistent advocate for the BEP’s move to Prince George’s County,” said David Iannucci, president of the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation. “We take pride in knowing that Prince George’s County will be one of only two locations in the country where U.S. currency is printed. Increasing the number of federal jobs, and federal investment, in the county have long been a key part of our strategic focus for growing the county’s economy. This $1.4 billion facility will be a meaningful part of future growth here.”
This move has been a significant priority of Maryland’s Congressional delegation. The current facility, located in the District of Columbia, was originally built 108 years ago and is not suitable for modern minting techniques.
By moving the facility to Prince George’s, the county will gain the distinction of being one of only two places in the nation where all denominations of paper currency are produced (the other being Tarrant County, Texas). Notes printed in the new facility will be stamped to indicate their origin, but the new marker has yet to be released. One exciting possibility may be PGC for Prince George’s County.
