With the Congressional and Senatorial leaders being sworn in this week, many politicos are curious as to how (or if) the parties will reach across the aisle in order to achieve any kind of success. However, today Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) (who has been very vocal about this nuclear energy in the past) announced that he and 13 other members of Congress have sent a letter to the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation’s (DFC) CEO, Scott Nathan, stressing the importance of nuclear energy funding.
Despite nuclear energy being a zero-emission energy source, there is still hesitancy to accept it due to previous disasters such as the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters and natural antagonism from both oil and green energy lobbies.
But the bipartisan letter highlights that going nuclear is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” that the United States cannot pass up on if it wants to maintain its leadership status in global energy.
“The time is now for the DFC to carry out its goal of making America a stronger and more competitive leader around the globe by taking advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to promote the use of this revolutionary energy technology,” wrote the legislators.
They would also write that even though there was growing support on both sides of the aisle in the last Congress, with the new Congress coming in they believe that there will be even more handshakes across the aisle.
“While nuclear energy overall received unprecedented bipartisan support in the 117th Congress, the momentum is building for even greater bipartisan efforts relating to nuclear energy in the 118th Congress. Members of Congress in both parties have embraced nuclear energy for its inherent role in eliminating carbon emissions, and its intrinsic natural advantages as an alternative energy source,” said the legislators.
Representatives Jim Clyburn (D-SC), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Bill Foster (D-IL), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Buddy Carter (R-GA), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Sean Casten (D-IL), Troy Nehls (R-TX), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Bob Latta (R-OH), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), David Trone (D-MD), and Ben Cline (R-VA) signed the letter alongside Rep. Donalds.
