Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:
Perception is Reality - The discussion of nuclear waste politics surfaced how fear-based narratives can derail rational energy policy for decades.
Nuclear = Massive Economic Development Opportunity - Reed drew a number of parallels between recent efforts to onshore the semiconductor industry – highlighting how massive industry investments create economic flourishing.
Uri's Hidden Lesson - The revelation about cancelled expansions at Texas’ operating reactors Uri highlighted how different Texas's energy landscape might have been if some of these investments were made decades ago.
I explore these ideas and more with Reed Clay, President of the Texas Nuclear Alliance.
Reed Clay brings unique insight into nuclear energy's future as President of the Texas Nuclear Alliance, drawing from his experience as former Chief Operating Officer for the State of Texas under Governor Abbott. His decade at the highest levels of government—including managing Texas's Office of State-Federal Relations and playing a key role in the state's Hurricane Harvey response—gave him deep expertise in navigating complex regulatory frameworks while driving practical results.
Before focusing on nuclear policy, Reed's work included defending federal programs at the U.S. Department of Justice and implementing major policy initiatives across Texas's executive agencies. Now, through initiatives like the groundbreaking Texas Nuclear Summit and his advocacy for strategic infrastructure investment, he's helping shape Texas's vision of becoming America's nuclear innovation hub while working to rebuild the nation's nuclear manufacturing capabilities.
During our conversation, Reed shares:
Critical insights on regulatory reform that explain why the NRC's "precautionary mandate on top of a precautionary bureaucracy" needs restructuring.
An analysis of nuclear's unique economic development opportunity compared to traditional energy investments in Texas.
A highlight of four key investment categories of interest spanning utilities, SMR developers, fuel cycle innovation, and manufacturing infrastructure.
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What We Cover:
00:00 Introduction
02:50 Texas Nuclear Summit Highlights
04:06 Government Support for Nuclear
05:47 Technological Advances in Nuclear
09:18 Federal and State Government Roles
15:52 Formation of the Texas Nuclear Alliance
16:21 Impact of Winter Storm Uri
24:04 Investment Opportunities in Nuclear
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Connect with Reed
Website: https://texasnuclearalliance.org/
Connect with Andrew
Newsletter: https://thediligentobserver.substack.com
Website: https://pitchfact.com/
Stuff We Reference
Texas Nuclear Summit: https://nucleartexas.com/agenda/
CHIPS Act: https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/what-chips-act
Three Mile Island Accident: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle.html
Vogtle 3 & 4: https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/large-lwr/col/vogtle.html
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident: https://www.iaea.org/topics/response/fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-accident
Texas Nuclear Alliance: https://texasnuclearalliance.org/
Dow Chemical: https://www.dow.com/
X-Energy: https://x-energy.com/
Constellation Energy: https://www.constellation.com/
CPS Energy: https://www.cpsenergy.com/
Austin Energy: https://austinenergy.com/
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC): https://www.nrc.gov/
Department of Energy (DOE): https://www.energy.gov/
Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT): https://www.linkedin.com/company/ercot/
Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/
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All opinions expressed are personal and may not reflect the views of the individual’s organization or of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice.
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