Walden, Upton, Shimkus praise new federal nuclear energy strategy

U.S. Reps. Greg Walden (R-OR), Fred Upton (R-MI), and John Shimkus (R-IL), who all serve on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee, praised the new U.S. Energy Department report, “Restoring America’s Competitive Nuclear Energy Advantage: A Strategy to Assure U.S. National Security.”

“We welcome the release of this strategy to restore American nuclear technological leadership,” said Rep. Walden, Republican leader on the E&C Committee; Rep. Upton, ranking member on the E&C Energy Subcommittee; and Rep. Shimkus, ranking member on the E&C Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee.

“We look forward to working with the administration on these policy recommendations to ensure that America leads on nuclear through the 21st Century,” they said in a joint statement released on April 23.

The report proposes 18 measures to help the nation regain its global leadership in nuclear energy, which has been lost to state-owned enterprises, notably Russia and China, according to the report.

Among the recommendations included in the report are to designate a senior administration position dedicated to leading nuclear export coordination and implementation; establish a Nuclear Industrial Base structure comparable to the Defense Industrial Base; fund the R&D for domestic origin commercial fuel replacements for international sale for use in foreign-origin reactors; and increase efficiencies in the export processes and the adoption of 123 agreements to open new markets for exports of U.S. civil nuclear technologies, materials and fuel.

“Now more than ever, American leadership matters,” said Reps. Walden, Upton, and Shimkus. “Nuclear innovation is how we can assure our national security, energy security, and economic growth, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Strengthening the nation’s domestic nuclear industry and its infrastructure will provide economic, environmental and security benefits for Americans and its allies for decades to come, they added.