America First energy strategy starts with this safe, clean and reliable resource

In the face of rising geopolitical challenges from the Chinese Communist Party, Russia and Iran, America must take a hard look at its resources and use every tool possible to ensure our people and economy can continue to thrive. As secretary of state and a member of Congress, I’ve seen firsthand how important energy security and independence are. 

The United States is blessed with abundant energy resources, of which we took full advantage in the Trump administration. As a result, we gained a critical edge in global energy markets, enabling us to better support our allies and negotiate with our adversaries from a position of strength. 

Maintaining this advantage, though, requires a diverse and reliable mix of energy sources. While much of the political debate has focused on expanding access to oil and natural gas – which is critical – one part of the energy equation that gets less attention than it should is nuclear energy. Unlike many green energy alternatives, nuclear is safe, reliable and capable of producing clean energy around the clock. 

An employee talks about how the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant operates at the PG&E Energy Education Center in San Luis Obispo, California, on Aug. 9, 2024. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Expanding nuclear power’s contributions to our energy grid carries massive potential benefits for our nation’s economic and national security, yet today detractors seek to derail these efforts to satisfy their own backward green energy agenda. 

WE MUST ADVANCE NUCLEAR ENERGY IN THE US

The necessity of a strong American power grid, which alone can power our homes, businesses and military bases, must transcend partisan politics. Nuclear power must be a central aspect of our energy policies and a key driver of America’s energy security.     

Critics often paint nuclear energy with a broad, fearmongering brush, but let's look at the facts: nuclear power plants provide more than 18% of our electricity, and nuclear power accounts for nearly half of all power gathered from sources other than fossil fuels. It is also incredibly reliable. 

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Unlike solar and wind, nuclear plants operate around the clock and are unaffected by weather conditions, meaning they can produce energy more than 90% of the time they operate – a massive improvement over green energy favorites like wind, which only produce 35% of the time. You can't run a full-time economy on part-time power.

Moreover, the nuclear industry is a powerhouse of job creation and economic growth, and we have only scratched the surface of its potential. It employs nearly 100,000 Americans in high-skilled, well-paying jobs that build strong communities and support families. With real investment in the industry, the potential benefits for American workers are substantial.

US MUST EXPAND NUCLEAR ARSENAL IN FACE OF RUSSIA AND CHINA THREAT, WARNS TOP OBAMA DEFENSE ADVISER

These benefits extend beyond our borders as well. I saw it as secretary of state: American nuclear leadership is a vital component of our global influence. Leading the way in nuclear innovation allows us to set international standards for safety and nonproliferation, ensuring that nuclear technology is used for peaceful purposes worldwide. 

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As China and Russia aggressively expand their nuclear capabilities, both for energy and military purposes, we cannot afford to cede ground. Indeed, American reactor designs face competition from state-owned competitors in China and Russia who subsidize nuclear as part of broader energy diplomacy initiatives. 

To do this, though, we must create a domestic environment where nuclear innovation can thrive – and that has to begin by ensuring the security of our critical nuclear supply chain. The United States was once leading supplier of enriched uranium to the whole world, but for decades, we have allowed our own domestic nuclear industry to languish and be overtaken by foreign competitors. 

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Now, roughly a third of the enriched uranium imported into the United States for use in our nuclear plants comes from Russia, while the United States has nearly lost its capacity to produce the high-assay, low enrichment uranium (HALEU) needed for cutting-edge advanced nuclear reactor plants to function. 

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This is beginning to change – the first American-based centrifuge capable of producing HALEU began operations last year – but this progress must massively accelerate if we want to compete with Russia and China. 

That means cutting and streamlining state and federal regulations around nuclear power without compromising safety, redirecting many Biden-Harris tax credits originally meant for green energy towards nuclear energy, and enacting policies that limit or outright ban Russian-sourced enriched uranium. By doing this, we will create the conditions within which our own nuclear industry can expand, succeed and dominate while limiting our reliance on foreign adversaries. 

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The national security implications of revitalizing nuclear power in America are clear. A robust domestic nuclear industry helps deliver energy independence, ensures that our military installations have access to reliable, uninterrupted power, and guarantees around-the-clock power for domestic data centers that will win the international race for artificial intelligence breakthroughs. It also gives us the technological edge to maintain our nuclear deterrence, which is the foundation of our national defense strategy. 

To put America First, we should abandon green energy policies that have helped drive the highest levels of inflation in decades and instead ensure our nuclear industry leads the world in innovation and efficiency for decades to come. 

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