The Biden Administration spent hundreds of billions of dollars to push renewables, and the result was a 30% increase in national utility prices. And yet, despite producing, (intermittent and expensive) electricity, no amount of wind and solar can make rubber or plastic or the millions of products we use, nor can they forge steel or produce cement. Yes, we need more electricity, but the Biden team was determined to be anti-fossil fuels in their push for more electricity, why was nuclear technology left out of the conversation?
There is no imminent replacement for fossil fuels in the production of petrochemical products, but for electricity needs, America stands on the brink of a nuclear energy revolution. Advanced nuclear technology and small modular reactors (SMRs) are proving to be game changers.
Similar to the war on coal and the ongoing attacks on oil and gas, nuclear has the same set of radical activists looking to thwart America’s advancement. President Obama’s former Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Gregory Jaczko, famously anti-nuclear, at a recent CERAweek conference, was presented as an objective expert on these future technologies, like having a beef panel moderated by vegans.
As NRC Chairman, Jaczko made it his mission to shut down nuclear innovation at every turn. He voted against opening any new nuclear power plants and famously went so far as to call for a global ban on nuclear power. It is frustrating enough Jaczko had the power to curtail nuclear power in America. Giving him a platform to continue to promote his extreme views is baffling.
Fortunately, America has an opportunity to turn the page on this anti-energy agenda and fully embrace a new era of nuclear power. In President Donald J. Trump’s first term, he laid the groundwork for innovation-friendly policies that encourage the development of next-generation nuclear technologies. Now, we have the chance to break free from the bureaucratic roadblocks of the past and usher in a golden age of nuclear energy.
Oklo, a company out of California, has signed agreements to deploy SMRs to operate data centers so America continues to lead the world on AI and not cede ground to China. We need greater electricity production for manufacturing and industrialization, for expanded housing in cities and suburbs, for commercial, farm, and residential use. The only thing standing in the way? Outdated regulations, bureaucratic inertia, and the ideological opposition of people like Jaczko.
We’ve seen this playbook before. The same activists who falsely claim to support “green energy” are actually lobbyists promoting unreliable wind and solar as the only acceptable energy options—ignoring their massive land use, supply chain problems, and dependency on rare earth minerals from adversarial nations like China. Nuclear power, on the other hand, provides a stable energy source with a far smaller environmental footprint, and we have all the raw materials here in America.
President Trump has a chance to champion this cause once again, cutting through the red tape that has long plagued nuclear development. By prioritizing streamlined regulatory approvals, supporting research into next-generation reactors, and pushing back against fear mongering anti-nuclear activists, his administration can unleash the full potential of American energy innovation.
Nuclear needs American raw materials and an American workforce. Nuclear expansion, along with President Trump’s call to reopen natural gas and clean coal plants, will bring electricity costs back down to inexpensive levels after four years of disastrous Biden energy policies.
The future of nuclear power is bright, but only if we allow progress to happen. It’s time to reject the failed policies of the past and embrace the energy solutions that will power our future. The golden age of nuclear energy is here—if we’re willing to seize it.
Daniel Turner is the founder and executive director of Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for American energy jobs. Contact him at daniel@powerthefuture.com and follow him on Twitter @DanielTurnerPTF
