Energy groups are touting President Trump’s moves to embrace nuclear energy, pointing to New York as a prime example, as an annual Climate Week kicks off in New York City.
Trump campaigned on a pledge to unleash American energy, and he has already signed multiple executive actions aimed at bolstering the nation’s nuclear power in particular. Energy groups have taken notice, and Trump’s efforts appear to have trickled into the state level, with places like New York embracing nuclear energy.
“President Trump has flipped the script on nuclear,” Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, said in a statement to The Hill.
“This is energy dominance in action, delivering more domestic fuel, more reliable 24/7 power, and downward pressure on electricity costs for families and industry,” Isaac added.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in June directed the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to develop at least one new nuclear plant to provide at least a gigawatt of power. In the announcement, Hochul touted the need to “embrace an energy policy of abundance that centers on energy independence.”
Earlier this month, California-based company Oklo Inc. announced plans to build three modular nuclear reactors in Tennessee as part of a $1.7 billion facility that will convert nuclear waste into fuel.
The announcements follow actions taken by the Trump administration to increase the nation’s nuclear energy capacity.
In May, Trump signed executive orders aimed at quadrupling the nation’s nuclear power, including by cutting back on health and environmental considerations.
He also issued an order in May stating the government “must utilize its full authority to accelerate the secure and responsible development, demonstration, deployment, and export of United States designed advanced nuclear technologies to bolster readiness and enhance American technological superiority.”
