April 29, 2019

By Electronic Mail

The Honorable Lisa Murkowski                 The Honorable Joe Manchin

Chair                                                              Ranking Member

United States Senate Committee on        United States Senate Committee on

Energy and Natural Resources                  Energy and Natural Resources

Washington DC 20510                                Washington DC 20510

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Dear Senators Murkowski and Manchin:

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The U.S. Nuclear Industry Council, as the leading business consortium advocate for advanced nuclear energy and American nuclear energy exports globally, is writing to advise you of our strong and vigorous support for the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act, S. 903 (NELA) and its goal of ensuring that America is in “First Place on Nuclear Energy” to provide this vital clean energy technology in the U.S. and around the world.

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In our view, NELA sends an unequivocal signal globally that the U.S. is committed to being the nuclear energy capital of the world as well as propelling its leading-edge advanced nuclear energy technology in the $3 trillion world marketplace.  NELA sounds a strong bipartisan message -- particularly to Russia and China -- that America’s world-class supply-chain will play a central role in providing clean, economical, reliable, flexible and passively-safe best-in-class advanced nuclear technology worldwide.  From NELA’s focus on bolstering the U.S. nuclear energy industrial base to accelerating early-mover deployment to cutting-edge technology to  advanced fuel development to R&D infrastructure including the Versatile Test Reactor to human capital to enhanced government advocacy, the NELA charts an extraordinarily compelling and comprehensive recipe for Team USA leadership in global nuclear energy.

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With 60 nuclear energy plants under construction internationally and another 100 plants on the horizon – and given nuclear energy’s pivotal role in environmental progress -- it is our hope that the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resource, and indeed the Congress, will act with alacrity to enact NELA and its holistic prescription to buoy U.S. nuclear energy jobs, exports, clean energy leadership and national security.  

We greatly appreciate your leadership and stewardship on behalf of NELA as well the co-sponsorship of 16 other Senators to date.

Sincerely

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Hon. Bud Albright

Chairman, U.S. Nuclear Industry Council

&

U.S. Under Secretary of Energy

(2006-2008)

Copy To:

Mr. David Blee, President & CEO, USNIC

USNIC Board of Directors and Members

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To view letter as a separate attachment, click here.