Newsweek
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It’s Time for a Homegrown U.S. Nuclear Manufacturing Base
On January 16, 2019, acting as assistant secretary for nuclear energy, I testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the state of U.S. nuclear technology development. I indicated that American nuclear was declining faster than anticipated. I explained that “sustaining the current fleet of operating nuclear power plants is a priority for the nation because without a robust nuclear industry, we will not be able to reestablish…U.S.-based supply chains, nor maintain the…infrastructure and workforce necessary for a vibrant civilian nuclear industry.”
Fast forward to 2022, and reactor closures are hampering the nation’s greenhouse gas reduction efforts. Case in point, the 2021 closure of Indian Point, New York, increased the state’s emissions by 30 percent! Meanwhile, China’s reactor fleet is quickly growing and will become the world’s largest by 2026.
