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ClearPath Action Rundown 
June 12th, 2026

Happy Friday!

Thank you for joining us at the Congressional baseball game!

ClearPath is proud to mark its 10th year sponsoring the annual bipartisan Congressional Baseball Game, supporting D.C.-area charities while celebrating one of Congress' longest-standing traditions.

1. Jeremy Harrell testifies on nuclear licensing reform before House E&C

A predictable, efficient Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is the foundation American developers need to build the next generation of reactors. ClearPath Action CEO Jeremy Harrell testified before the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Energy on a package of six bills to accelerate nuclear licensing and strengthen the domestic nuclear industry. The legislation covers the full stack, from streamlining NRC hearings to recycling used fuel to aligning NRC staff pay with an increasingly competitive landscape.

The bills discussed at the hearing:

• Cut approval timelines by an average of six months by eliminating mandatory uncontested hearings under the Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act;
• Accelerate nearly $3 billion in domestic enrichment investment by allowing construction and licensing to run concurrently under the American Enrichment Deployment Act;
• Strengthen domestic fuel security and reduce taxpayer liabilities on spent fuel under the Nuclear REFUEL Act; and
• Modernize NRC staffing, advisory processes and DOE test reactor transparency through three additional bills.

What's clear: American nuclear developers are ready to build, Congress needs to give them a regulator built for the pace and scale the moment demands. This package builds on the success of the ADVANCE Act and moves the ball on the predictability, efficiency and domestic supply chain depth that private investment requires.

Plug in: Watch the full hearing here.

2. Putting energy security at the center of U.S. foreign policy

Energy security is inseparable from global competitiveness and modern societies. To meet this moment, U.S. foreign policy must lean into its strengths and create a coordinated, agile and effective energy diplomacy and delivery system. This week, the House passed Rep. Young Kim’s (R-CA) DOMINANCE Act (H.R. 7037) to put energy security at the center of U.S. foreign policy. 

The DOMINANCE Act:

• Authorizes Energy Security Pacts (ESPs), bilateral long-term agreements to build energy grids and critical minerals infrastructure with allied nations outside China's influence;
• Establishes the Bureau of Energy Security and Diplomacy within the State Department to serve as a central hub for strategy, engagement and policy coordination across federal agencies and international partners; and
• Formalizes U.S. participation in President Trump’s Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE) to build supply chains for critical minerals.

What's clear: America has the allies, financing tools and technology to lead the world in energy technologies and critical minerals infrastructure; the DOMINANCE Act enhances those assets with a long-term, durable strategy to outcompete China. 

Plug in: Read ClearPath's blog Put Energy Security at the Center of U.S. Foreign Policy for the case behind the DOMINANCE Act's ESP framework.

3. DOE announces Antares Nuclear Mark-0 criticality

For the first time in four decades, a new privately developed reactor has gone critical at Idaho National Lab. The DOE announced that under their Reactor Pilot Program, Antares Nuclear's Mark-0 reached criticality at Idaho National Laboratory, and it's the first reactor to hit President Trump's July 4 deadline from his May 2025 executive order.

What to know:

• Mark-0 is the 53rd reactor completed at Idaho National Laboratory since 1951;
• Construction and testing will support eventual Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing and inform the design of future commercial deployments across power, space and defense applications; and
• The DOE's new Nuclear Energy Launch Pad will build upon the Reactor Pilot Program.

What's clear: Multiple companies are seeking to achieve criticality through the Reactor Pilot Program before July 4th. Clear deadlines and private sector partnerships can move American nuclear technology closer to commercial deployment.

Plug in: Read Jeremy Harrell's op-ed on what's driving America's nuclear revival and why it matters for U.S. energy dominance.

4. The world's largest geothermal complex just got bigger

American companies keep building firm, affordable, clean energy. Constellation Energy completed a 25 MW expansion of The Geysers, the world's largest operating geothermal complex, located in California. 

The expansion shows what's possible when federal R&D and private operators work together. The project:

• Delivers firm, round-the-clock power to the California grid, reinforcing reliability as electricity demand rises;
• Previously received a DOE-funded EGS demonstration award that validated EGS techniques at an operating site and lowered risk for future projects nationwide; and
• Demonstrates that existing geothermal infrastructure can serve as a cost-effective launchpad for new capacity.

What's clear: The Geysers expansion is proof that geothermal, backed by smart federal R&D investment and private execution, can grow the grid affordably and reliably. Congress should reauthorize the expiring geothermal R&D authorizations in the Energy Act of 2020 to keep that momentum going.

Plug in: Read ClearPath's full blog, From Energy Act to IPO: Federal Energy R&D Programs Deliver Results.

5. America’s fusion strategy takes shape 

The U.S. private sector has attracted more than $10 billion in cumulative fusion investment. DOE released the second installment of the public sector’s plan to support this budding industry: the Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap lays out a Build-Innovate-Grow framework to close the critical gaps standing between today's momentum and a commercial fusion power plant in the 2030s.

This Roadmap announces plans to:

• Set near-, mid- and long-term milestones across six challenge areas to give private developers a clear public-sector roadmap;
• Build an AI-Fusion Digital Convergence Platform under the Genesis Mission to accelerate materials discovery and plasma modeling;
• Launch Fusion BRIDGE, a new program to co-fund experimental infrastructure with private companies, states and international allies; and
• Coordinate with advanced nuclear R&D to share enabling technologies and reduce costs across both sectors.

What’s clear: Fusion is the next frontier of energy technology, and this Administration intends to move it from the lab to the grid as quickly as possible. 

Plug in: Read ClearPath's From Vision to Reality: The U.S. Fusion Imperative for a breakdown of what it will take for America to lead on fusion.

The Atlantic Council, CleanEcon and ClearPath hosted the premiere of IGNITION: The Future of Fusion, a short documentary created by Future in Bloom that frames fusion energy as this generation’s Space Race. Jeremy Harrell spoke on a panel with Trent Bauserman (Commonwealth Fusion Systems) and Scott Hsu (Lowercarbon Capital), moderated by Jennifer Gordon (Atlantic Council Global Energy Center).

6. NEW Interconnection 101 – clearing the path for new power

Every new power plant in America must navigate the grid interconnection process before a single electron moves. Studies take over three years on average, and less than 20 percent of proposed projects ever reach commercial operation.

ClearPath's new Interconnection 101 lays out three fixes:

• Maximize existing grid capacity through energy-only service, surplus interconnection and generator replacement – faster, lower-cost pathways most grid operators underuse;
• Integrate transmission planning with generation and load growth so developers know costs and timing upfront; and
• Deploy automation and AI to cut study timelines, reducing study times from years to days.

What's clear: Fixing interconnection is critical to energy dominance, reliability and affordability. To unclog the queues, regulatory fixes, modern technology and building new transmission are key. 

Plug in: Read ClearPath's Interconnection 101 for the full breakdown.

7. DOE invests in carbon capture through coal modernization

With a combined $350 million in federal funding, the DOE’s Office of Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy selected four coal modernization projects, each integrating carbon capture technologies. The projects are located in Puerto Rico, Maryland, Alaska and West Virginia, and include front-end engineering and design studies.  

These projects: 

• Underscore carbon capture’s growing role in DOE’s strategy for modernizing existing energy infrastructure; and
• Could add or preserve approximately 3,565 megawatts (MW) of coal-fired generation capacity – enough electricity to serve roughly three million U.S. households each year.

What's clear: By integrating carbon capture technologies into infrastructure upgrades, DOE is advancing an all-of-the-above approach focused on reliability, resilience and the long-term competitiveness of America’s energy system.

Plug in: Read ClearPath's blog Made in America, with Carbon by Jake Marrs and Savita Bowman for a breakdown of how captured carbon can be put to use to create valuable products and recover resources.

8. 250 years of American energy innovation

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, ClearPath is highlighting America's innovation story. From the earliest discoveries in electricity and steam power to modern nuclear, natural gas, advanced grid technologies and agriculture, American innovators have consistently pushed the boundaries of what's possible.

Quick history lesson – Hydraulic fracturing and the shale revolution

• 1947 – Engineers at Stanolind Oil conduct the first hydraulic fracturing experiments in Kansas, planting the seed for what would become a world-changing technology.
• 1977 – In Colorado, the Department of Energy demonstrates the first use of massive hydraulic fracturing (MHF), followed by decades of continued public-private partnerships to scale innovative natural gas technologies.
• 1997 – Slick water fracking makes shale gas extraction economically viable for the first time, triggering a domestic natural gas boom that would reshape the American energy sector and global energy markets.
• 2025 – The U.S. becomes the first country to export more than 100 million tons of LNG annually, cementing its place as the world's dominant natural gas exporter.

What’s clear: The shale revolution is one of the greatest American energy success stories, built on decades of strategic public-private R&D, private entrepreneurship and experimentation. It turned the U.S. from an energy importer into the world's top natural gas producer and exporter.

Plug in: Read ClearPath's LNG 101 to learn how the shale revolution turned America into the world's top natural gas exporter and what that means for global energy security.

9. The Circuit

Jeremy Harrell chaired two panels at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum. First, a fireside chat on “Forecasting the ‘Demand Era’ and building energy infrastructure to meet the moment” with the Honorable Tristin Abbey, and second, a panel with Marisa Buchanan (bp), Sasha Mackler (ExxonMobil Low Carbon Strategies), David Sewell (Solstice Advanced Materials) and Pete Sheffield (Enbridge).

10. Coming down the pipeline

Wednesday, June 24 – 10:30 a.m. – ClearPath CEO, Jeremy Harrell, will moderate the UCAN Power Webinar Featuring Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Ho K. Nieh. RSVP here.

11. ICYMI

• Two American fusion companies, on opposite coasts, closed major funding rounds within weeks of each other: Helion Energy raised $465M, and Thea Energy closed a $100M Series B, a sign that investor confidence in American fusion is growing.
• After 14 years in federal permitting, the Sunzia Southwest Transmission Project has begun commercial operation, a reminder of why modernizing the permitting process is essential for American energy infrastructure.
• The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced two hydropower bills, the Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act and the FLOWS Act, to streamline licensing and reduce regulatory burdens on existing dams.

ClearPath believes America must lead the world in innovation over regulation…markets over mandates…providing affordable, reliable, clean energy. 

That's all from us. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

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