Burlison Opens Subcommittee Hearing on Advancing Nuclear Energy

WASHINGTON—Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) delivered opening remarks at today’s hearing on “The New Atomic Age: Advancing America’s Energy Future.” In his opening statement, Subcommittee Chairman Burlison highlighted President Trump’s actions to boost American energy production and Congressional action to reinvigorate the nuclear industry. Subcommittee Chairman Burlison also noted the efficiency and cost of nuclear energy emphasized the importance discovering new pathways to solving domestic energy challenges.

Below are Subcommittee Chairman Burlison’s prepared remarks:

A new age for nuclear power has started—led by President Trump’s four recent executive orders on nuclear energy and Congressional action to reinvigorate the nuclear industry. 

President Trump’s orders call for permitting reform and the reduction of overburdensome regulations from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has become a slow-moving, bureaucratic mess, constraining and delaying expansion of U.S. nuclear power deployment for decades. 

Under President Trump’s orders, the NRC must rule on reactor license applications within 18 months—a dramatic shift from the ambiguous, open-ended timelines of the past. 

President Trump’s orders also promote expanding domestic mining, enrichment of uranium and other reactor fuels, and nuclear-fuel recycling. 

These ground-breaking actions will power United States energy independence and provide a secure and reliable U.S. electrical grid—something we must obtain as the AI revolution places surging demands on our. electrical capacity. 

At the heart of nuclear power’s resurgence are two key innovations: small and micro modular reactors. 

These new reactors promise the U.S. will have a strong answer to future energy demands. 

They will be more capital-effective, more efficient, and more scalable for both on and off-grid sites here in the United States. 

Moreover, they offer enhanced safety features, eliminate the risk of meltdowns, and can use recycled fuel from other reactors. 

The Department of Energy predicts that 12 percent of electricity consumption in the United States in 2028 will come from data centers, which require constant and consistent electricity. 

And the Energy Information Agency recently projected that U.S. power consumption will reach all-time highs this year and next, in part due to AI and data-center demand.

Nuclear power is the answer to data centers’ growing appetite for stable energy.

I recently toured two prototype micro modular reactors being developed here in the United States. 

I can confidently say the technology is ready—what is holding nuclear back is the onerous and capital-intensive regulatory permitting burden placed on nuclear energy expansion. 

Under the Trump Administration, the federal government is waking up to the roadblock that nuclear power has faced for decades.

The federal government, not technology, has been in the way. 

Congress should and will be watching for the fruits of the Administration’s actions, eager to cooperate in achieving lasting change. 

Nuclear power in the age of SMRs and MMRs isn’t just safe—it’s essential. 

It is our best shot at securing clean, reliable, American energy independence.