Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy policy covers the regulation, expansion, and phase-out of nuclear power as part of the broader debate about how to generate reliable, low-carbon electricity. Nuclear power currently provides about 18–19 percent of U.S. electricity from 93 operating reactors — the largest nuclear fleet in the world — generating power around the clock regardless of weather conditions. After decades of stagnation following the Three Mile Island (1979) and Chernobyl (1986) accidents, nuclear energy is experiencing a renaissance driven by climate goals: it produces virtually no carbon emissions during operation. The Biden administration's IRA included provisions supporting existing nuclear plants and advanced nuclear technologies. The closing of nuclear plants has accelerated in recent years due to economic competition from cheap natural gas and renewables — a trend that some environmentalists, who previously opposed nuclear power, now argue should be reversed given the urgency of decarbonization. Advanced reactor designs — including small modular reactors (SMRs) — promise to be cheaper, safer, and more flexible than conventional large reactors, but have not yet reached commercial scale. The NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) oversees safety; critics argue its approval process is too slow for the pace of climate action required. Nuclear waste storage remains a major unresolved policy challenge: the proposed Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada was effectively killed politically in 2009, leaving the U.S. without a permanent storage solution. Fusion energy — which would produce power by fusing atoms rather than splitting them, with minimal waste — achieved scientific breakeven at the National Ignition Facility in 2022, generating renewed optimism about long-term potential.