WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) today reiterated the need for American leadership in nuclear energy during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, where Idaho National Laboratory Director Dr. John Wagner testified.
“Idaho is home to the Idaho National Lab, which is the flagship laboratory for nuclear energy and the birthplace of nuclear energy,” said Risch. “ . . . We built 52 reactors there and we are proud to be the flagship. We’re anxious to move forward. . .”
“[Nuclear energy] is incredibly competitive internationally. The Russians and Chinese are both working aggressively. As we move to the next generations of reactors, SMRs, and Micros that will be coming along [. . . ] we need to lead [here.]. It’s important to us, not only from an economic stand point, but, [long term because] when we enter into these relationships, they become 100-year relationships with these companies. National security depends upon relationships with other countries—creating allies. This is one way to do it,” continued Risch. “ . . . This isn’t a partisan issue. We’re all Americans, and there is a national interest here that we all get together and pull the wagon on this.”
Earlier this week, Risch and Wagner penned an editorial outlining steps Congress and the U.S. must take in order to lead on nuclear energy and protect U.S. national security.
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