Nuclear Power Is Carbon-Free, Cheap and Reliable

  • But nuclear is underutilized in the United States despite the increased calls to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
  • Instead, environmental purists advocate for renewables only, such as the wind turbines that shut down when Texas faced freezing temperatures in February 2021. 
  • This has caused America’s nuclear power capabilities to remain at the same level for the past three decades while increased energy consumption has led to overall higher carbon emissions.

Nuclear Power Is A Matter Of National Security And Global Leadership

  • Beyond the goals of reducing carbon emissions and providing cheap, reliable electricity, the U.S. has another important reason to advance nuclear technology: to protect and enhance our national security goals.
  • If America does not lead the world in the development and deployment of nuclear energy, China, Russia and other international competitors will gladly dominate the nuclear energy space.
  • This risks compromising nuclear technology and safety standards and ceding leadership to countries with poor track records on human rights, safety and international cooperation.

Policy Change Is Needed

  • We need to invest further in the new generation of nuclear technologies, such as small modular reactors, to reduce initial costs and commercialize them to make nuclear power more widely available domestically and abroad.
  • The government should update its outdated regulatory process for nuclear energy projects, such as streamlining the process for approving the locations where demonstration reactors are allowed to be built.
  • Supporting public-private financing of nuclear projects will open the door for the U.S. advanced nuclear technology developers to expand their customer base to include developing nations.
  • By removing regulatory barriers and focusing on developing new nuclear technology, American innovators can lead the world to a cleaner, more secure energy future.

Click‌ ‌‌here‌‌ ‌to‌ ‌read‌ ‌the‌ ‌full‌ ‌policy‌ ‌focus‌ ‌and‌ ‌learn‌ ‌more‌ ‌about‌ innovative and more flexible approaches to energy policies.