Commission on Nuclear Energy Policy in the U.S.

The CSIS Commission on Nuclear Energy in the United States is made up of senior public and private sector officials from across the political spectrum who agree that nuclear energy is an important part of this country’s energy mix and that the United States is losing ground as other countries proceed with planned expansions of their nuclear sectors.

Concerns about the national security implications of a diminished U.S. presence in the global nuclear energy market are real. The Commission has provided insights on the benefits and challenges associated with nuclear energy, laying a foundation for public policy in this area. A variety of areas have been considered including environmental considerations, financial structuring, safety, regulatory structures, nonproliferation, trade, domestic economic impact, infrastructure contribution, national security, and waste. 

Commission Structure and Events

• The Commission convened at CSIS on September 14th, 2011 to review the project’s goals and agree on areas of work for a draft report.
• High-level subgroups made up of commissioners and outside advisors with expertise in a variety of areas provided input for critical work areas including financial structuring, implications of the Fukushima disaster, supply chain and labor concerns, opportunities for global collaboration, and national security implications.
• Throughout 2012, the CSIS U.S. Nuclear Energy Project staff engaged experts in various areas of industry and government to gain insight on the challenges facing nuclear energy and recommendations for next steps.
• The Commission’s goals included providing recommendations that are substantive and actionable; this final report is intended to be a comprehensive, bipartisan, and credible treatment of this critical topic.