Trump AdministrationS Push for Nuclear Energy Faces Funding Discrepancies
WASHINGTON – despite stated aims to revitalize the nuclear energy sector, the Trump administration’s initial budget proposal included cuts totaling $4.7 billion from the Department of energy (DOE), including $408 million earmarked for nuclear research within the office of Nuclear Energy for the 2026 fiscal year, according to energy policy expert Matt Bowen of Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy policy. This apparent contradiction raises questions about the administration’s commitment to a “nuclear energy renaissance.”
Bowen noted the administration is simultaneously “pushing staff out” of the DOE, creating a challenge: “How do you do more with less? Less staff, less money.”
The administration attributes the nuclear industry’s current stagnation to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC),citing costly licensing and recertification processes. Executive orders have been issued calling for a major reorganization of the NRC, with proposed streamlining of the approval process for new plants – a change welcomed by some, like MIT nuclear chemical engineer Charles forsberg, who acknowledged the existing process has been “very, very, very slow.”
However, concerns exist that the executive orders could undermine the NRC’s independence. “Every word in those orders is of concern, because the thrust of those orders is to essentially strip the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of its independence from the executive branch, essentially nullifying the original purpose,” warned Lyman.
Experts fear reduced staffing and resources at the NRC could compromise power plant safety. Bowen stated, “This notion that the problem for nuclear energy is regulation, and so all we need to do is deregulate, is both wrong and also really problematic.”
The future of nuclear energy, particularly Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), hinges on overcoming economic and technical hurdles to contribute to decarbonization efforts. While some, like gehin, express optimism about accelerated deployment with sufficient commitment, others remain skeptical. Shirvan expressed a pessimistic outlook,stating,”I am quite…on the pessimistic scale when it comes to the future of nuclear energy in the US.”
Serious government and industry investment will be crucial to making nuclear energy financially competitive.
This article is based on reporting originally published on Undark. Read the original article here.
