America’s energy security and national security go hand-in-hand
America’s national security and energy security go hand-in-hand. If we want America to remain safe, secure, and prosperous as our adversaries become more brazen, we must return our country to energy independence.
We have seen over the last year under the Biden administration just how dangerous overreliance on other nations for energy is. When President Biden canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline on day one of his presidency, he didn’t just eliminate thousands of high-paying American jobs – he significantly hindered our nation’s energy independence. President Biden continued to hack away at America’s energy independence when he did Vladimir Putin a favor and waived bipartisan, congressionally mandated sanctions against Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural-gas pipeline.
If America wants to regain energy independence and remain secure, the White House and Congress must commit to an all-of-the-above approach to energy policy. We must do more than simply put Midland before Moscow when it comes to where we get our oil. It also means encouraging investments and cutting red tape to accelerate the deployment of zero emissions and low emissions energy technologies, including many American nuclear technologies that are near commercialization. In addition to emerging nuclear energy production technologies, American companies are also developing novel ways to manage nuclear waste through nuclear waste recycling.
As a member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee I’m proud to be an original cosponsor of the Securing American Leadership in Science and Technology Act (SALSTA), which would invest in American innovation regarding nuclear energy and carbon capture. This legislation would help improve America’s energy independence and reduce emissions. Recently, I joined fellow committee Republicans in sending a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to emphasize the need for a clear licensing process for advanced nuclear reactors, which play an essential role in making our clean energy future a reality.
Increasing America’s nuclear energy exports will make America more secure. We recently saw how amidst Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine, they quickly seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in a bid to prevent Ukraine’s transition from Russian to American nuclear fuel at the station. This is a continuation of a concerning trend – as U.S. nuclear export competitiveness has declined in recent years, Russia has seized the opportunity and now accounts for two-thirds of globally exported nuclear power plant projects under construction today. We must reassert America’s dominance as the leader of nuclear energy.
In addition to waging an unjust war against Ukraine, Russia is also leading the negotiations of the disastrous Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the Iran Nuclear Deal…
