Washington, D.C.—Senate Western Caucus members John Barrasso (R-WY), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Jim Risch (R-ID) joined Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Mike Lee (R-UT) in supporting the Department of Energy’s implementation of President Trump’s 2025 nuclear executive orders.
Last week, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee heard from Theodore Garrish, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at DOE, and Dr. John Wagner, Director of Idaho National Laboratory. The hearing underscored how nuclear energy projects in the west can expand America’s energy capacity, drive innovation, and strengthen national security.
What they’re saying:
“The goal [is] to ensure the effectiveness of our military and enhance the export of American nuclear technologies around the world, which currently Russia and China are rapidly deploying these technologies internationally,” said Barrasso. “We partially addressed this in my 2024 bill,Prohibiting Russia Uranium Import Act. It was signed into law. It banned imports of Russian uranium and was essential in providing market certainty needed to expand American uranium production.”
“To put it bluntly, energy will determine the global balance of power for the next generation,” said Lee. “If we hesitate now, we will not just fall behind. We will be operating inside a system defined by others, dependent on supply chains and standards that we didn’t write. That is not a position of strength, and it’s not a position that the United States can accept.”
“Montana opened the door for the deployment of nuclear energy,” said Daines. “Expanding nuclear capacity, both in Montana and across our great nation, is critical to maintaining a resilient electric grid through the distribution of firm, dispatchable electricity. We need more baseload power”
“Now with the new technology, we have another risk, and that is cost overruns,” said Risch.“Because, you’re dealing with something you haven’t tried before. When you try it, and it doesn’t work, it is very, very expensive. So, we developed the ARC Act.”
Click here to watch the full committee hearing.
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