Nuclear Innovation Alliance Executive Director Judi Greenwald issued the following statement on the announcement by President Biden today of the new U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution as part of the U.S. reentry into the the Paris Agreement:
“We wholeheartedly agree with the President that "America must lead the critical industries that produce and deploy the clean technologies that we can harness today - and the ones that we will improve and invent tomorrow." Advanced nuclear energy can help meet the President's stated goals to fuel an economic recovery that creates jobs; advance clean air, clean water, and environmental justice; and make clean technologies in America.
“To help meet U.S. climate goals, it is essential that the United States invest in critical infrastructure now to support advanced nuclear technologies that will be ready for demonstration and deployment this decade and beyond. Construction and operation of these facilities will aid in the President’s effort to sustain new, high-paying union jobs and satisfy the moral and economic imperatives of the U.S. to help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“If the U.S. government can provide sustained funding and support for research, development, demonstration, and commercialization of domestic advanced nuclear concepts, we will be better poised to export our technology and foster rigorous regulatory standards for nuclear energy to impoverished countries in the future. This leadership creates a century-long diplomatic relationship with developing nations based on science and information sharing, and assists them in meeting their own climate mitigation goals."
The Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) is a non-profit “think and do” tank working to enable nuclear power as a global solution to mitigate climate change. Through policy analysis, research, and education, we are catalyzing the next era of nuclear energy. Our organization is funded primarily through charitable grants and philanthropic donations from climate-concerned individuals and organizations.