Our nation’s ability to power our way of life without carbon emissions is now at the top of lawmakers’ minds on Capitol Hill. A new momentum is pulsing through the District as Congress held several hearings and proposed a new resolution this week on the threat of climate change and the best way for our energy system to respond.
Early this morning, “The Green New Deal,” a resolution introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), proposed a framework for "meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean, renewable and zero-emission energy sources."
“I think we already know what we have to do: a mix of nuclear, solar, wind, hydro and perhaps biofuels,” said Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on climate change on Feb. 6.
America’s 98 nuclear reactors generate 20 percent of the nation’s electricity, all without carbon emissions. In fact, more than 56 percent of all carbon-free electricity is generated by nuclear, more than all other clean energy sources combined.
“[I]f we are serious about climate change, we need to get serious about the role of nuclear power,” said Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) in the House hearing.
A growing group of scientists and climate advocates support using all zero-emissions technologies as part of a clean energy grid. The Union of Concerned Scientists acknowledged the impact that nuclear plant closures have on climate and air quality, embracing the idea of implementing policies to preserve financially struggling nuclear plants. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change identified nuclear as one of the technologies necessary to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“Any approach to eliminating greenhouse gas emissions requires all clean energy technologies, including nuclear, to work together to address that urgent problem,” said NEI President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Korsnick.
Former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who recently put out a joint report on energy innovation with IHS Markit, promoted the inclusion of all carbon-free sources at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on Feb. 7.
“There is no single low carbon one-size-fits-all solution … we need to have a full quiver of arrows.”
The 24th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change also stated that all clean energy, including nuclear, has “a role to play in addition to, not in lieu of, the rapid scale-up of renewables.”
The alarming reality is that we are in jeopardy of losing much-needed clean energy, as several nuclear plants across the U.S. are in danger of shutting down. Flawed electricity markets—which don’t value nuclear energy’s carbon-free attributes—are putting plants at risk in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Facing similar closures, several states have passed measures to preserve nuclear plants. New York, Illinois, Connecticut and New Jersey have implemented zero-emission credit programs to ensure that nuclear plants are valued for their carbon-free electricity. Legislators in Ohio and Pennsylvania are considering similar policies.
Our federal legislators should take their cues from these states. Lawmakers need only to do the math to realize what would happen if nuclear was not part of the framework to create an entirely clean energy grid:
- There are 12 reactors facing premature closure that produce more electricity than the entire region of New England uses in a year. That’s also more than enough clean electricity to power all of the homes in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for a year.
- One nuclear plant alone produces enough electricity to power all the electric vehicles in the United States.
A broad and comprehensive strategy to address climate change must make room for all zero-carbon options. Nuclear power—the nation’s largest source of carbon-free electricity—is an essential part of the clean energy portfolio.
