Fleischmann emphasizes need for nuclear in U.S. energy future

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) called for more investment in new nuclear power to address the United States and global demand for electricity, in an April 28 opinion piece posted in the Washington Times.

“We are at a pivotal moment in energy production that will define our nation and the world for the remainder of the 21st century,” Fleischmann wrote. “Investment and support for nuclear power have reached levels we haven’t seen in decades, and now is the time to seize the opportunity to forge America’s New Nuclear Future.”

With the rise of artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and growth of new industries, the demand for electricity has grown immensely, Fleischmann said. The United States’s failure to meet the demand could compromise its energy independence and national security, he added. 

Fleischmann chairs the House Appropriations Committee’s Energy and Water subcommittee and supports federal investments in energy projects and new nuclear projects. At a recent hearing with the subcommittee and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Fleischmann said he appreciated the “Strong support” for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in the outline for the White House’s budget. “But I would like to see more resources requested in NNSA’s base discretionary budget request rather than assumed via reconciliation,” he continued.

The lawmaker said in his op-ed the federal government and private companies are revitalizing the nuclear sector after years of a decline and “poor policy decisions.” 

Notably, Fleischmann criticized the policy decision to outsource the enrichment of uranium to Russia, calling it a “massive national security and economic blunder”. Separately, in 2024, the United States passed legislation banning import of uranium from Russia after Russia invaded Ukraine. The ban will go into motion in 2028.

Also in 2024, Orano USA selected Oak Ridge to be the site for a uranium enrichment facility in a multi-billion-dollar investment. Oak Ridge is in the district that Fleischmann represents in Tennessee. Enriched uranium is an “essential” part of modernizing the nuclear deterrent and new reactors, Fleischmann said.

Fleischmann’s opinion piece comes as he prepares to draft the fiscal year 2026 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, as he said in the piece.