Restoring U. S. Leadership in Nuclear Energy: A National Security Imperative

The CSIS Commission on Nuclear Energy Policy in the United States

doi:10.5771/9781442225121

Summary

America’s nuclear energy industry is in decline. Low natural gas prices, financing hurdles, failure to find a permanent repository for high-level nuclear waste, reactions to the Fukushima accident in Japan, and other factors are hastening the day when existing U.S. reactors become uneconomic. The decline of the U.S. nuclear energy industry could be much more rapid than policy makers and stakeholders anticipate. China, India, Russia, and others plan on adding nuclear technology to their mix, furthering the spread of nuclear materials around the globe. U.S. companies must meet a significant share of this demand for nuclear technology, but U.S. firms are currently at a competitive disadvantage due to restrictive and otherwise unsupportive export policies. Without a strong commercial presence in new markets, America’s ability to influence nonproliferation policies and nuclear safety behaviors worldwide is bound to diminish. The United States cannot afford to become irrelevant in a new nuclear age.

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Bibliographic data

Edition: 1/2013
Copyright Year: 2013
ISBN-Print: 978-1-4422-2511-4
ISBN-Online: 978-1-4422-2512-1
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 64
Product Type: Monograph

1. Contents No access
2. About the CSIS Nuclear Energy Program No access
3. About the CSIS Commission on Nuclear Energy Policy in the United States No access
4. Executive Summary No access
Chapter 1 Nuclear Energy in the United States and Worldwide: Current Status and Outlook No access Pages 1 - 18
Chapter 2 Making the Case: The National Interest and U.S. Nuclear Energy Leadership No access Pages 19 - 28
Chapter 3 Challenges for the U.S. Nuclear Energy Industry No access Pages 29 - 50
Chapter 4 Recommendations No access Pages 51 - 62
Appendix Key Contributions to the CSIS Nuclear Energy Program No access Pages 63 - 64