1. LNG pause draws sharp criticism from House and Senate committees

This week, House Energy and Commerce and Senate Energy and Natural Resources held hearings on the Biden Administration’s “pause” on approving new LNG exports.

Senate ENR Chair Manchin (D-WV) and Ranking Member Barrasso (R-WY) share concerns over the impact of the "pause" on the American economy, our national security, and rising CO2 emissions.

“The fact is, American natural gas is among the cleanest in the world – far cleaner than Russia, far cleaner than Iranian gas,” said Sen. Barrasso. “At last year’s climate conference, nearly 200 countries, including the U.S., called out the role fuels like natural gas are playing in reducing emissions.”

“[LNG] has helped to shift markets and bolster our own energy security—and that of our allies—away from adversaries like Russia and Iran, and has enabled the U.S. to reduce emissions more than any other nation, both at home and abroad,” said E&C Chair McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).

What’s clear: Recent analysis from the Rhodium group shows natural gas demand is on track to increase as much as 50% by 2050. If the U.S. cannot meet that demand, our foreign adversaries will supply it. Exporting cleaner American LNG not only benefits the environment but also our national security and economy.
 

2. New nuclear for potential use in shipping

New American nuclear is at the core of the European startup Core Power and shipbuilding giant HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ (HHI) effort to power shipping vessels with nuclear power.

• The project utilizes TerraPower and Southern Company’s molten chloride fast reactor (MCFR) design.
• The MCFR was supported by the DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP).
• TerraPower and Southern Company are planning to build a test reactor at Idaho National Laboratory to support the commercialization of the MCFR.

What’s clear: The U.S. Navy has used nuclear energy to power most of its submarine and aircraft carrier fleet since 1955. This is among the first efforts to begin deploying zero-emissions nuclear energy for commercial shipping.

Plug in: New reactor designs can be used for applications beyond electricity. Learn more about the importance of American nuclear energy production here.
 

3. TerraPower’s Natrium local impact in Wyoming

 
Nuclear reactor developer TerraPower held a public meeting in Kemmerer, WY, with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) detailing its Natrium reactor’s local and economic impacts, including:

• The 62-month construction period, which will bring in up to 1,600 construction workers;
• Its 60-year operating life, which will employ about 250 permanent staff; and it will
• Provide $7.5 million annually in local property taxes.

TerraPower’s Natrium was one of the selections for the DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) in 2020. The ARDP is designed to help the next generation of American nuclear reactors transition from concept to demonstration.

What’s clear: Nuclear reactors can provide high-quality jobs and tax revenues for decades.
 

4. The world’s largest carbon removal plant is approaching launch

 
The Loblolly facility, which became operational this month, will sell carbon offsets for $100 per ton and make bricks from carbon-rich wood and sawdust to store underground for centuries.

• By the end of 2024, the Loblolly plant will remove 15,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
• Graphyte plans to scale to 50,000 metric tons in 2025.

Plug in: Check out our policy page to learn about the importance of carbon dioxide removal.
 

5. Jeff Merrifield elected as USNIC Chair

 
The U.S. Nuclear Industry Council (USNIC) has elected Jeff Merrifield to serve as Chair of its Board of Directors. Merrifield is the Nuclear Energy practice leader at Pillsbury and sits on the ClearPath Advisory Board.

ClearPath’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jeremey Harrell, served as the Chair of the Board of Directors from 2020-2023 and will remain on the board in 2024 to fulfill his three-year term.

Congratulations, Jeff Merrifield!
 

6. ClearPath adds to operations team

 
We are excited to welcome Amy Reed as an Executive Assistant to support ClearPath’s operations.

Before ClearPath, Amy was an Executive Assistant at Sophos Cybersecurity, supporting leadership in Product Development. Welcome aboard, Amy!
 

7. ICYMI

• Reps. Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Peters (D-CA) introducted a bill, H.R. 7200, which aims to strengthen domestic hydrogen infrastructure through financing. This is the companion to Sens. Coons (D-DE) & Cornyn’s (R-TX) bill (S. 649).
• ClearPath’s Jeremy Harrell, Judi Greenwald from NIA and Jessica Lovering from Good Energy Collective wrote an op-ed for Utility Drive on the next steps for advancing nuclear.
• The European Commission issued its Industrial Carbon Management Strategy (ICMS), which targets an annual CO2 injection capacity of at least 250 million tons annually by 2040.
• The DOE aims to accelerate grid build-out with a $1.2 billion RFP to support new high-voltage transmission projects.