- With an astounding victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, it is uncertain how Donald Trump will implement Nuclear Energy policies to confront raising energy prices and increasing carbon emissions.
Former President Donald Trump has just been declared the victor of the presidential election. Working class Americans of all ethnicities rejoice around the country. Vice President Kamala Harris failed to resonate with this demographic, which led in flipping previously blue supporting states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Trump has been very vocal about energy throughout his political campaign. Through the use of the slogan, “Drill Baby Drill,” he has made it clear that he wants to reduce oil and gas prices by drilling for more oil within America, while also increasing jobs in the process. He has also been a large proponent against wind turbines. He says wind turbines are killing birds in mass numbers, and the vibrations from offshore turbines cause whales to wash up dead on shore.
In regards to nuclear energy, Trump is a firm believer that over-regulation has killed further development in the sector. He referenced the Bellefonte Nuclear Station in Hollywood, Alabama, as a colossal nuclear energy failure. A total of four nuclear reactors were proposed for the site to be built over a 40 year period. Despite $4 billion having already been spent on the project, the plant was never finished due to construction delays, higher than expected costs, and political and public opposition to nuclear energy. Trump believes that massive power plants like Belefonte are just too big and difficult to build due to massive construction costs and too many regulations. He instead believes that we should be building Small Modular Reactors in the United States, and continue to build more as they are needed.
Trump praises France for their push towards nuclear energy. Around 70-75% of the country’s electricity is generated through nuclear power, making it the largest share of any country in the world. France has a large number of nuclear reactors spread across its territory. The country operates 56 nuclear reactors at 18 nuclear power plants. The future president explains that we need to be more like France and build smaller reactors which are cheaper and easier to build.
Donald Trump and the GOP platform as a whole has made considerable efforts to campaign on energy issues. At the 2024 Republican National Convention, the GOP promised that, “Republicans will unleash Energy from all sources, including nuclear, to immediately slash inflation and power American homes, cars, and factories with reliable, abundant, and affordable Energy.”
