The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing has been printing U.S. currency in the District for well over a century and is a popular destination for D.C. tourists, but it may move to Maryland.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is evaluating a 100-acre site on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Prince George’s County as a potential location for a new production facility.
The new facility would house all operations for printing U.S. paper currency and other federal security products.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has partnered with the USDA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study the feasibility of the site.
Maryland would like to see the bureau make the move.
“Maryland Commerce stands ready to provide any assistance we can during the evaluation process,” said Secretary Kelly M. Schulz. “Maryland is home to more than 50 federal facilities, and the federal government has a very positive economic impact — $38.1 billion — on the state’s economy.”
There is no timeline for the bureau’s evaluation process, though it will include soliciting input from the public and government officials.
In addition to D.C., the engraving and printing bureau has a production facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
Its original D.C. headquarters and production facility, at 14th and B Street, SW, just off Independence Avenue, opened in 1880. The modern day operations remain located in two buildings.
