A renewal of the American nuclear energy industry could produce benefits that we need now more than ever: abundant, emissions-free energy and substantial economic growth.
But the success of the nuclear energy industry in the United States is not a foregone conclusion. Plants take many years to build, are costly, and are challenging to finance. The expense of developing new technologies is great and the infrastructure for build components has not existed in the United States for years. These barriers could be overwhelming, particularly given the substantial policy and regulatory uncertainties and the price and availability of competing energy sources.
To address these issues, Third Way and the Idaho National Laboratory hosted the New Millennium Nuclear Energy Summit, a bipartisan forum on the future of nuclear energy in the United States, with honorary co-chairs Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and George Voinovich (R-OH) on December 7, 2010. The event brought together Energy Secretary Steven Chu, White House Advisor Carol Browner, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko, and about 20 industry CEOs, labor and NGO representatives and energy investors.
“The Future of Nuclear Energy: A White Paper” was developed by Third Way and the Idaho National Laboratory to frame the discussion at the New Millennium Nuclear Energy Summit, and was revised to reflect feedback provided by the Summit’s participants. It describes the emerging consensus on the future of nuclear energy and provides recommendations to leaders on the steps needed to revive the U.S. nuclear energy industry.
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