Clean Energy Innovation

In an op-ed for RealClearEnergy, Robin Gaster and David Hart argue the Senate is the last line of defense against the Trump Administration;s push to cut clean energy spending.

When the history is written about why the world didn’t solve climate change as it should have, much of the blame should be placed on the environmentalists who gave short shrift to the critical need for innovation—and even attacked those who called for it.

President Trump’s executive order takes aim at nuclear regulations, but without broader support for innovation, development, and scale-up, America’s nuclear ambitions will remain stuck on the launchpad.

A recent manifesto from the Council on Foreign Relations argues emerging economies must slash their emissions—and to that end, “Every tool of the United States and allies’ arsenals, spanning diplomatic and economic coercion to military might, should be on the table.” This green imperialism is both profoundly, irredeemably immoral and unrealistic.

Hydrogen hype has crashed headfirst into economic reality—billions wasted, markets abandoned, and mobility in ruins—proving the U.S. must stop chasing fantasies and start stress-testing clean energy bets before they flop.

As part of its deregulation efforts, the administration should clarify Bayh-Dole march-in rights; rescind NIH Access Planning Policy; rescind FRA two-person train crew requirements; clarify requirements for manually operated driving controls; protect America’s innovative clean-energy technologies; and streamline regulatory permitting for semiconductors.

Standard large nuclear reactors won’t achieve scale or cost competitiveness with alternative energy sources. DOE should focus its resources on small modular reactors, which are a more promising technology with the potential to achieve price and performance parity.

ITIF’s spring seminar course explores core emerging technologies and issues that are reshaping our world and, in the process, creating public policy challenges and opportunities. The course is open to congressional and federal staff only.

Clean energy only scales when it matches fossil fuels on price and performance—but Biden-era policy bet big on tech that never will.

Watch now for expert panel discussion exploring how the United States can take advantage of opportunities to develop cleaner industries that are more globally competitive.