Why We Can’t Go Green Without Nuclear Energy
Daily WireJUL 2023
Trump Executive Orders Will Speed Nuclear Reactor Approvals
Above: Pacific Gas and Electric's Diablo Canyon Power Plant, the only operating nuclear powered plant in California, on June 26, 2023 in Avila Beach, CA. Image copyright: Brian van der Brug/Contributor/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Nuclear power represents America's best path back to energy dominance and technological leadership after decades of regulatory stagnation that allowed China and Russia to surge ahead in reactor construction. Overregulation has choked innovation for 50 years. These executive orders will cut through bureaucratic red tape and enable the rapid deployment of safe, clean energy that's essential for powering AI data centers and maintaining military superiority.
Anti-Trump narrative
Rushing nuclear development through weakened regulatory oversight will create serious risks to public safety and national security by potentially allowing unsafe reactor designs to bypass through the vetting processes. The 18-month licensing deadline could force regulators to reject promising technologies altogether if they cannot be fully evaluated within such compressed timeframes, undermining the very deployment goals these orders seek to achieve.