U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) delivered remarks at a Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) conference hosted by Guggenheim Securities titled Investing in Advanced Nuclear Energy: Meeting Clean Energy Needs Across the Economy. He discussed positioning American nuclear energy suppliers for global leadership, an issue at the intersection of several committees on which the Senator serves, including Banking, Armed Services, and Environment and Public Works.
“North Dakota has an all-of-the-above energy portfolio – coal, wind, natural gas, oil, and hydropower. We use very little nuclear, so I don’t believe in it because of the power plants in my backyard. I believe in it for the same reasons I do carbon capture and sequestration: its value proposition, environmental advantages, and reliability,” said Senator Cramer.
“Regarding the United States’ commitment to bolstering our nuclear standing, we’ve taken our foot off the gas over the last several decades. Bad actors have filled voids in the supply chain. It’s time we’re more forward-leaning about bringing nuclear back into the fold.”
In addition, he talked about legislative incentives available to the industry, the geopolitical value of investing in American producers, and the Export-Import Bank’s role in combatting efforts by Russia and China to leverage nuclear coercion. Scaling U.S. capabilities here will demand coordination between the public and private sectors. To this end, Senator Cramer advocated for congressional permitting reform and reshoring our physical and intellectual nuclear supply chains.
The NEI conference engaged financial and fuel industry stakeholders in panel, breakout, and Q&A sessions. Topics ranged from decarbonization and power grid resilience to regulations and capital formation.
Source: Senator Kevin Cramer
