Opinion | The author's opinion does not necessarily reflect Sarah Palin's view.
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation to strengthen the nuclear energy sector, with only two senators opposing the measure.
The bill, expected to land on President Joe Biden’s desk, aims to facilitate the construction of new nuclear plants amid retiring existing ones.
Key provisions include reducing licensing fees, streamlining environmental reviews, and promoting small modular reactors.
Supporters believe the bill will enhance nuclear power capabilities, while critics, like Edwin Lyman, express concerns over potential safety implications.
“Really appreciate the bipartisan efforts on advanced nuclear,” climate advisor Ali Zaidi wrote.
“We benefit from more tools in the toolbox as we take on the climate crisis — with the urgency the moment demands,” Zaidi added.
“Hopefully it will be history-making in terms of small modular reactors, which is the future of nuclear,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said.
The bipartisan nature of the bill, combining nuclear advancements with support for firefighters, has garnered mixed reactions, with a strong push for nuclear power’s role in clean energy and electricity generation.
“It’s a facilitator of the process by which industry has to get approvals for building these projects,” the Bipartisan Policy Center’s energy program managing director Lesley Jantarasami said.
“I just see this as inviting the industry to challenge every decision that the commission tries to make that has the potential to impose more than this minimum amount of regulation and could essentially paralyze it from actually working to improve nuclear safety and security,” Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists said.
“I voted present in objection to the ridiculous decision to tie the reauthorization of vital firefighting programs for our communities together with poison pills that undermine nuclear safety and were strongly opposed by leading grassroots environmental organizations,” she said.
“As of August 1, 2023, 93 nuclear reactors were operating at 54 nuclear power plants in 28 states. Of the 54 operating nuclear power plants, 19 have one reactor, 31 have two reactors, and 4 have three reactors. The U.S. nuclear energy industry has supplied about 20% of total annual U.S. electricity since 1990,” the U.S. Energy Information Administration stated online.
