Bipartisan agreement on energy debate now possible.

Amid deepening trenches, Democrats are advocating for renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and biomass, while Republicans are pushing for the use of fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal. Both sides argue that their respective policies are the best way to ensure a secure and affordable domestic energy future. Nuclear energy, however, is one power source that both parties want to keep. In February, a Senate bill was introduced to create a “mine-to-market” domestic uranium supply chain, and a House bill was introduced to ban the import of Russian uranium. House Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-Wash.) noted that eliminating reliance on Russian nuclear fuels is the first step to restoring the U.S.’s leadership in clean nuclear energy. The proposed Nuclear Fuel Security Act, filed by Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee Chair Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), seeks to ban Russian uranium imports and create a national effort to extract, stockpile, and process uranium within the United States. Wyoming’s Powder River Basin is one possible beneficiary of the Act, as it has a shuttered mine that could produce up to 1.3 million pounds of uranium annually, and more mineable ore likely within the state. The Act also calls for the creation of a 2-million pound national uranium reserve stockpile. Additionally, the Bilateral Infrastructure Law and the Infrastructure Reduction Act provide significant grant potential for nuclear energy. Nuclear power currently contributes 20 percent of the nation’s electricity, and the Department of Energy aims to sustain this share through 2050 by replacing older plants with newer, more advanced iterations, which could power half the nation’s electrical grid by that time.