WASHINGTON, D.C. – With America facing unprecedented energy demands driven by data centers, artificial intelligence, and technological advancements, U.S. Reps. Chuck Fleischmann and Dan Newhouse appeared this past Thursday before a breakfast discussion of The Ripon Society to discuss the effort they are leading to meet this demand and boost U.S. energy security in the coming years.
Fleischmann represents the 3rd District of Tennessee and serves as Chairman of the Energy & Water Subcommittee of Appropriations. Newhouse represents the 4th District of Washington and is a member of the subcommittee. In their remarks, the two lawmakers talked about the increasing importance of nuclear power in meeting the country’s growing energy needs, and the steps they believe Congress and the President should take to make sure that America — not China or Russia — remains the top energy producer around the world.
“I'm all about energy,” Fleischmann stated in remarks to open the discussion. “If you were to stop most people on the street in this town, they would say Chuck Fleischmann is synonymous with nuclear energy. And I respect that. I do associate with those remarks. I like big and existing nuclear. I like the fact that we are extending the life of our larger nuclear power plants in this country because they're built well. We're going back. Companies like Holtec are going to bring a big one back in Michigan. Constellation is going to bring one back in Pennsylvania. My fervent hope is that New York State comes back at some point in time. Our friends on both sides of the aisle — excuse the pun—are warming towards nuclear energy.”
In addition to serving as Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee Chair, Fleischmann also serves as Co-Chair of several related caucuses, including Fusion Energy Caucus, the National Labs Caucus, the Advanced Nuclear Caucus, and the Nuclear Security Working Group — all of which reflect the fact that there is growing support for nuclear energy across the U.S., and that much of this support is bipartisan.
“The bottom line is we need energy in this country,” Fleischmann said. “We need natural gas. We need renewables. But we need all the above to get on the grid because we are going to have a dearth of energy. Nuclear is a big part of that. It's safe. It’s clean. It's one of those energies that is actually attracting people from both sides of the aisle. It's truly amazing. I threw an event at the beginning of this Congress, and I invited Republicans and Democrats. It was a new nuclear dinner, and an equal number of Democrats and Republicans showed up. Our caucuses are bipartisan. Our efforts are bipartisan.”
Fleischmann noted that he is finding support for nuclear energy not only across the political aisle on Capitol Hill, but on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, as well.
“The Administration is working hand in hand with me,” the Tennessee lawmaker stated matter-of-factly. “Secretary Wright, Secretary Burgum, and the President of the United States — I work very closely with them. I'm a Republican who actually supports the Tennessee Valley Authority. I think it’s a great institution. The reality is, in our part of the world, we have less expensive, abundant energy, with a very diverse portfolio. It’s nuclear. It’s natural gas. It’s hydro. There is some coal in there. There are renewables in there. It is just very robust.”
Newhouse agreed.
“We are experiencing a never-before-seen demand for power in our country,” he stated. “It’s not just here, but throughout the world … We've got to meet these demands. And nuclear energy definitely is going to have a huge role.”
“But we need all kinds of energy. I think natural gas is still one of the things that we're going to depend on, at least till we get to where we are with some of the other things. I'm really excited about geothermal, too. There are a lot of possibilities there. But nuclear — I don't know that you could find another community in the country that is more pro-nuclear than the Tri-Cities of Washington State. And that's a good thing. I think part of Tennessee absolutely falls into that category. Not too long ago, nuclear was almost a four-letter word. Now, people from both sides of the aisle and all philosophies are looking at nuclear as being a very viable option. And the good thing is we've got a lot of technology that will get us to a very strong nuclear future.”
Still, Newhouse cautioned, these and other developments related to expanding America’s nuclear power capacity, will not occur on their own. They will require smart policy in Washington and smart investment in innovation around the U.S.
“I believe the federal government has a clear role here,” the Washington state Republican said bluntly. “We were on the verge of losing a lot of that assistance and influence that we have to provide in H.R.1, the Big Beautiful Bill. Some of the tax credits that were very important to a lot of aspects of nuclear production were left on the cutting room floor — literally — until a group of us decided, ‘Hey, this is crazy — we can’t be throwing the baby out with the bath water here.’ Nuclear has got to be a part of our future. And we have to have those tax policies in place that will allow the industry to move forward.”
“We are very excited in Washington state about the small modular reactors. We believe that the Tri-Cities and the state of Washington will be a hub of production of that equipment. We've got the technology and we've got the brain power of the people that really know how to make this happen. I'm very excited about all of the different projects that are in place around the country. And we need more of that. We need some of these to actually come to fruition so that we can realize this future that we absolutely have to have.”
In addition to serving on the Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee, Newhouse also is a member of The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, which, he noted, had been assessing the threat facing the U.S. from China and other energy powers around the globe.
“This is not just a domestic problem,” he stated. “We are faced with competition. I'm on the China committee, looking at the threats of the CCP. They're producing not only nuclear, but coal and all kinds of different power generations. They are moving forward like there's no tomorrow. Russia is the same way. We're getting left in the dust as far as keeping up with them in this category. We can't let that happen.”
To view the remarks of Fleischmann and Newhouse before The Ripon Society Thursday morning, please click the link below:
