SEN RUBEN GALLEGO: Nuclear is the future – so why are Republicans blocking it?

When I visited St. Johns, Arizona – colonisation 3,417 – past month, I wasn’t conscionable stopping successful a quiescent municipality connected the borderline of Apache County. I was visiting a assemblage that could assistance unleash the adjacent epoch of American energy. With the close investment, St. Johns could beryllium location to 1 of the nation’s archetypal tiny modular reactors, besides known arsenic SMRs, which are the adjacent procreation atomic exertion designed for safety, flexibility, and outgo efficiency.

But today, arsenic our request for vigor information grows, Congress is moving successful the other direction by undermining bipartisan advancement connected atomic powerfulness erstwhile we request it most.

Even President Donald Trump’s medication has endorsed a atomic "renaissance." So wherefore are Republicans successful Congress advancing authorities that would slash enactment for the precise technologies helium is championing?

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The Case for SMRs

Small modular reactors correspond a important leap successful nuclear innovation. Unlike accepted ample plants, SMRs are factory-produced, shipped successful pieces, and assembled connected site. This modular attack cuts operation clip and costs, portion making atomic powerfulness viable successful much locations—including erstwhile coal-fired generating stations similar successful St. Johns.

SMRs are designed with robust information features. They’re built underground, reducing the hazard of outer threats, and necessitate little predominant refueling, minimizing the handling and transport of atomic materials. They tin besides enactment successful tandem with renewable sources to supply unchangeable backup erstwhile star and upwind aren’t available.

These are conscionable immoderate of the benefits of SMRs recognized by the Department of Energy and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Good-Paying, Union Jobs

Investing successful atomic isn’t conscionable astir boosting our vigor supply, it’s astir creating good-paying, imperishable jobs. One study at the Coronado Generating Station successful St. Johns recovered that replacing ember plants with SMRs could sphere 77% of existent jobs with nary further licensing required, portion creating much than 650 new, imperishable jobs.

More importantly, these are union jobs—98% of existing atomic jobs are unionized. That means secure, high-paying careers that enactment moving families with first-class wellness security and afloat pensions successful communities often near down during the vigor transition.

This benignant of semipermanent economical payment is precisely what the Apache County leaders I talked with are excited about.

This interaction could scale. Another study has recovered that a azygous 100-megawatt SMR tin make up to 7,000 jobs and implicit $1 cardinal successful economical activity. For erstwhile ember towns crossed the country, SMRs could connection not conscionable survival—but renewal.

Republicans successful Congress person agelong insisted that we cannot permission ember communities down successful the vigor transition, and rightly so. So wherefore are they pushing guardant an docket that kills SMRs?

The Problems with House Republicans’ Plan

We’ve made existent bipartisan advancement connected atomic vigor successful caller years.

The CHIPS and Science Act included $800 cardinal to enactment coal-to-nuclear projects, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) created taxation credits for precocious atomic projects, and the ADVANCE Act, signed into instrumentality past year, streamlined licensing for caller reactors.

But close now, Republicans successful the House are threatening to set america backmost decades.

They have proposed funding cuts to the Department of Energy’s Loan Program Office and taking distant taxation credits for atomic facilities.

These programs are not luxuries—they are necessities. Nuclear projects necessitate important superior and agelong improvement timelines. Without authorities support, astir backstage investors volition locomotion away. These cuts could frost SMR improvement earlier it gets disconnected the ground.

This Should beryllium Bipartisan; Democrats Aren’t Without Fault

Too often, Democrats person fallen into the trap of making it look arsenic though investing successful the cleanable vigor modulation is lone astir appeasing costal elites acrophobic astir clime change. But arsenic we enactment to decarbonize our electrical grid and support the satellite for aboriginal generations, we cannot permission down the hardworking Americans whose livelihoods presently beryllium connected the fossil fuels industry.

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That’s wherefore I judge investing successful our vigor aboriginal tin and should beryllium a bipartisan goal, which is wherefore I supported the confirmation of Secretary Wright. I also pressed him on protecting SMR investments and ensuring accordant backing for atomic projects.

There’s nary crushed this contented should disagreement Congress. Nuclear vigor delivers cleanable power, strengthens our grid, supports national labor, and revitalizes forgotten communities. That’s a uncommon operation – 1 some parties should rally behind.

What’s Next?

If the United States wants to stay competitory and secure, we request to bash much than support the advancement we’ve made. We indispensable chopped reddish portion and streamline permitting without sacrificing information oregon assemblage input.

We besides request to foster home innovation and onshore the proviso concatenation for nuclear components, truthful that our vigor information does not beryllium connected unfriendly nations. China and Russia already person operational SMRs. The U.S. indispensable drawback up.

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I volition support warring for these goals successful the Senate, but Congress indispensable measurement up.

This isn’t astir ideology. It’s astir power—literally. Keeping the lights on, keeping our system humming, and keeping our promises to workers crossed the country.