Should Federal Power Back Nuclear Power?

Nuclear energy has enjoyed both bipartisan political support and widespread investor interest in recent years. The Trump administration has established especially ambitious goals, including quadrupling generation. It has also pursued bold new domestic policy approaches, such as securing an agreement that could provide the federal government with a 20% stake in Westinghouse, encouraging nuclear projects on federal land, and possibly making surplus plutonium available for use in advanced reactors. In parallel, the administration has negotiated agreements to secure Japanese and South Korean investment in U.S. reactor deployment, as well as a controversial civil nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia—a potential customer. Nuclear energy’s supporters want more, including greater federal financial support for the industry. But how much is too little, and how much is too much?

On October 14, the Center for the National Interest welcomed two thoughtful and highly qualified speakers to present contrasting views:

—Dr. Jennifer T. Gordon is Director of the Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative and the Daniel B. Poneman Chair for Nuclear Energy Policy at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center. She co-directed the Atlantic Council Task Force on U.S. Nuclear Energy Leadership and has served as a senior energy policy analyst at National Journal and a political analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency. She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

—Jack Spencer is Director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at The Heritage Foundation. Previously, he was Vice President for The Heritage Foundation’s Institute for Economic Freedom and Opportunity. Earlier in his career, he was Heritage’s Senior Research Fellow in Nuclear Energy Policy. In addition to nuclear policy, his work has covered topics including federal spending, taxes, regulations, and subsidies, both domestically and internationally.

Paul Saunders, President of the Center for the National Interest, moderated the discussion.