During federal infrastructure negotiations, President Biden and Senators Manchin (D-WV), Whitehouse (D-RI), and Senator Cardin (D-MD) proposed a nuclear subsidy as high as $50-$100 billion to bail out uneconomical nuclear plants.

A new report by economist and consumer advocate Dr. Mark Cooper shows that by dedicating scarce federal dollars to a nuclear subsidy instead of to renewables and energy efficiency, the White House and Congress would be slowing climate action.

As biologist, author, and activist Dr. Sandra Steingraber explains in this clip, renewables and energy efficiency reduce more GHG emissions per dollar than nuclear energy does. Nuclear reactors cost more than renewables, take too long to build, and raise many environmental, public health, and safety concerns. Further, the cost of existing nuclear reactors will only rise, while the costs of wind and solar will continue to fall. Yet, the subsidies we give nuclear power are 10x greater than the subsidies we give renewables and efficiency.

Giving billions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize old nuclear plants will crowd out and delay renewable energy development, prolong racial and environmental injustice, and prevent the creation of thousands of new jobs. We have 9 years left to meet our climate targets - we must invest in the most cost effective, just, and proven GHG reduction strategies now. 

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