Full Title: Restoring America's Nuclear Energy Leadership and Exports
Author(s): Paul J. Saunders
Publisher(s): Energy Information Reform Project
Publication Date: April 16, 2024
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Description (excerpt):
Today’s international environment is profoundly different from that of the Cold War era—a period of intense U.S.–Soviet competition, but also a time when the United States and its allies led in many technological fields and dominated the global economy—and its aftermath, when geopolitical rivalries eased. Yet many institutions and policies, domestic as well as international, originated in these periods, when circumstances, priorities, threats, and opportunities were different from those of today. As a result, many U.S. approaches are no longer suit America’s needs.
The gap between institutions and policies, on one hand, and international realities, on the other, is especially stark where technological change has moved rapidly. One such area is nuclear energy; U.S. approaches to international civil nuclear cooperation have not kept up with new global realities. Indeed, changing geopolitics, technologies, policies, and markets have significantly outpaced U.S. approaches, which thus far fall well short of what the country needs to advance its national interests in today’s world.
Successfully executing a policy to reestablish U.S. leadership requires adapting to these changes. The recommendations in this report seek to advance four important goals for the U.S. civil nuclear sector, to innovate, to accelerate, to facilitate, and to cooperate.