Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) Senior Vice President for Governmental Affairs Alex Flint outlined likely trends for the nuclear industry in 2016 on the NEI website.
Flint said one of the major accomplishments in 2015 legislatively was the re-establishment of the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank). Despite this, a focus for 2016 is to ensure that the bank is in operation as soon as possible.
Flint also names the finalization of the Section 123 nuclear trade agreement between the U.S. and China as a major accomplishment.
Flint notes one big area of concern is reforming the U.S. energy market so that nuclear can compete in the sector. Flint said nuclear plants should be receiving the same benefits that other low-carbon energy plants get. Flint said the NEI is working with the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to address this and inform these organizations of the challenges of grid reliability and how federal clean-air initiatives would be hindered by closing nuclear plants.
Flint said a change in leadership at the presidential level is not expected to change the course of the Clean Power Plan, and any that any new president who acted against it would more than likely only slow down progress rather than reverse it, Flint said.
“That is part of the long-term trend of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions pursuant to current law,” Flint said. “The Clean Power Plan is the implementation of the Clean Air Act as mandated by the Supreme Court. The pace can change, but the direction will remain the same for the foreseeable future.”
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