Trump backs state-led nuclear renaissance to rebuild the fuel cycle

America’s nuclear renaissance won’t be built in Washington alone. Just as states that had the foresight to build today’s nuclear fleet benefit from it, states that rebuild our nuclear industrial base will reap the fruits of its resurgence. President Donald Trump understands this reality, which is why he took executive action last May to lead states in revitalizing our nuclear industrial base.

Since then, the Department of Energy has developed a clear framework focused on directing state-led efforts to restore the full nuclear fuel cycle domestically and revitalize the American nuclear industry.

The Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus concept proposes state hubs that align local and federal resources to expand regional industrial capacity, support economic growth, and reestablish technological leadership in this critically important area.

This state-led model builds on America’s past success when it once established a thriving, fully integrated national nuclear enterprise. In the 1960s and 1970s, at the height of America’s nuclear development, reactors were rising from North Carolina to Arkansas; Domestic enrichment in Kentucky and Ohio, fuel production in Washington and South Carolina, and commercial reprocessing in New York supported a closed fuel cycle.

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Nuclear development in these and other host countries has built permanent infrastructure, highly specialized workforces, and technical expertise that have sustained the industry for decades. From heavy reactor ships forged in Pennsylvania to advanced control systems and specialty materials manufactured in the Midwest, the nuclear enterprise has boosted regional industry and strengthened local economies.

In the decades that followed, this integrated enterprise fell into decline due to an increasingly burdensome and unpredictable regulatory environment and negative public opinion that made nuclear uncompetitive in a world of cheap natural gas and deregulated electricity markets.

In 1977, the Carter administration further deteriorated the environment by postponing commercial reprocessing due to concerns about nuclear proliferation. While our allies have proven safe and secure fuel recycling for decades, this decision has contributed to increased waste stocks across our country.

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Over time, domestic enrichment capacity decreased, fuel production and conversion capabilities consolidated, and private production migrated or disappeared; This has eroded the industrial base that once sustained the entire nuclear life cycle.

As the United States retreats from fuel cycle integration, competitors have usurped our leadership in the global nuclear market by building vertically integrated nuclear industries that combine fuel services, reactor construction, and long-term support.

Advanced technical capability cannot be rebuilt one component at a time on a fragmented industrial base. The United States has seen this dynamic in other sectors, from semiconductors to aerospace to biotechnology, where the co-location of research, manufacturing, and skilled labor accelerates innovation and creates enduring expertise. Rebuilding this talent in the United States will require regional clusters where these functions coexist, talent pipelines mature, and supply chains rescale.

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The Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus model provides a practical path forward. The state-led centers will bring together fuel production and recycling technologies, advanced reactor demonstration, materials testing, waste management solutions and workforce training within a regional ecosystem.

Private sector funding will accelerate commercialization throughout the supply chain and rebuild domestic fuel cycle capabilities directly on campus. States that step forward will succeed in attracting high-skilled jobs, supporting advanced manufacturing, and placing their communities at the center of a safe and resilient nuclear enterprise.

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The Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus concept proposes state hubs that align local and federal resources to expand regional industrial capacity, support economic growth, and reestablish technological leadership in this critically important area.

Rebuilding the nuclear fuel cycle is not just a local industrial goal. This is a matter of national sovereignty. Today, Russia controls approximately 40% of global enrichment capacity and remains a major supplier of reactor fuel to facilities in both the United States and Europe. A strong domestic fuel supply will be needed as the United States and its allies seek to reduce dependence on Russian fuel services in the coming years.

Under the leadership of Under Secretary Chris Wright, the Department of Energy has taken significant steps to this point; expanded domestic enrichment capacity, strengthened allied supply chains, and supported the production of high-analyse, low-enriched uranium.

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Many advanced reactor designs can use recycled fuels and alternative fuel forms, creating ways to reduce waste and recover usable materials. Restoring domestic fuel cycle capacity through Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses will strengthen energy security, support defense requirements, and ensure the United States maintains control over a critical technology.

America’s nuclear renaissance will be led by the states that choose to build it. Early leaders will attract the investment, talent and supply chains needed for national security and demonstrate that it is possible for others to follow. Competitive federalism has long been a driver of American innovation. Applied to nuclear energy, it could revitalize industrial power, secure the fuel cycle and strengthen the country.