The Trump administration is encouraging the expansion of nuclear energy
Energy Secretary Chris Wright joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the impact Operation Epic Fury is having on gas and oil prices and his upcoming visit to a shuttered nuclear power plant in New York.
America’s nuclear renaissance will not be accomplished in Washington alone. Just as the states that had the foresight to build today’s nuclear fleet are reaping its benefits, the states that rebuild our nuclear industrial base will reap the benefits of its revival. President Donald Trump understands this truth, which is why he took executive action last May to give states the lead in reviving our nuclear industrial base.
Since then, the Department of Energy has developed a clear framework aimed at encouraging state efforts to restore the full nuclear fuel cycle domestically and revitalize the U.S. nuclear industry.
The Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus concept envisions state hubs that align local and federal resources to expand regional industrial capacity, stimulate economic growth, and restore technological leadership in this critical area.
This state-led model builds on America’s past success, when the country once built a thriving, fully integrated national nuclear enterprise. At the height of U.S. nuclear buildout in the 1960s and 1970s, reactors proliferated from North Carolina to Arkansas, while domestic enrichment in Kentucky and Ohio, fuel production in Washington and South Carolina, and commercial reprocessing in New York supported a closed fuel cycle.
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President Donald Trump supports a state-based system to restore American nuclear dominance. (Getty Images)
In these and other host states, nuclear development created a sustainable infrastructure, highly specialized workforce, and technical expertise that sustained the industry for decades. From heavy reactor ships forged in Pennsylvania to advanced control systems and specialty materials manufactured in the Midwest, the nuclear enterprise anchored regional industry and strengthened local economies.
In the decades that followed, this integrated business disappeared, with its decline driven by an increasingly difficult and unpredictable regulatory environment and unfavorable public opinion that made nuclear energy uncompetitive in a world of cheap natural gas and deregulated electricity markets.
In 1977, the Carter administration further deteriorated the environment by delaying commercial reprocessing due to proliferation concerns. That decision has contributed to growing waste stocks across our country, even as our allies have demonstrated safe fuel recycling for decades.
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Over time, domestic enrichment capacity declined, fuel production and conversion capabilities consolidated, and specialized manufacturing migrated or disappeared, eroding the industrial base that had once withstood a full nuclear life cycle.
As the U.S. retreated from fuel cycle integration, competitors built vertically integrated nuclear industries that combined fuel services, reactor construction, and long-term support, taking our leadership in the global nuclear market.
Advanced technical capabilities cannot be rebuilt component by component within a fragmented industrial base. The United States has seen this dynamic in other sectors, from semiconductors to aerospace and biotechnology, where co-location of research, manufacturing and skilled labor accelerates innovation and builds sustainable expertise. Restoring that capacity in the United States will require regional clusters where these functions converge, talent pipelines mature, and supply chains return to scale.
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The Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus model offers a practical path forward. State-run hubs would bring together fuel production and recycling technologies, advanced reactor demonstrations, materials testing, waste management solutions and workforce training within a regional ecosystem.
Private sector financing would accelerate commercialization across the supply chain, rebuilding domestic fuel cycle capabilities right on campus. States that step forward are likely to attract high-skill jobs, anchor advanced manufacturing, and position their communities at the center of a safe and resilient nuclear enterprise.
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The Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus concept envisions state hubs that align local and federal resources to expand regional industrial capacity, stimulate economic growth, and restore technological leadership in this critical area.
Rebuilding the fuel cycle is not merely a domestic industrial objective. It is a matter of national sovereignty. Today, Russia controls about 40% of global enrichment capacity and remains a major supplier of reactor fuel to utilities in both the US and Europe. As the U.S. and its allies seek to reduce dependence on Russian fuel services in the coming years, a strong domestic fuel supply will be necessary.
Under Secretary Chris Wright’s leadership, the Department of Energy has taken significant action to that point, expanding domestic enrichment capacity, strengthening allied supply chains, and supporting low-enriched uranium production at a high test rate.
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Many advanced reactor designs can use recycled fuels and alternative forms of fuel, creating opportunities to reduce waste and recover useful materials. Restoring domestic fuel cycle capacity through Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses would strengthen energy security, support defense requirements, and ensure U.S. control of a critical technology.
America’s nuclear renaissance will be led by the states that choose to build it. Early leaders will attract investments, talent and supply chains essential to national security, and demonstrate what is possible for others to follow. Competitive federalism has long been the driving force behind American innovation. Applied to nuclear energy, it can restore industrial power, secure the fuel cycle and strengthen the nation.
