Commission on Nuclear Energy in the U.S.

The CSIS Commission on Nuclear Energy in the U.S. is made up of senior public and private sector officials from across the political spectrum who agree that nuclear energy is an important part of this country’s energy mix and that the U.S. is losing ground as other countries proceed with planned expansions of their nuclear sectors.

Concerns about the national security implications of a diminished U.S. presence in the global nuclear energy market are real. The Commission will conduct a full review of the benefits and challenges associated with nuclear energy and provide a foundation for public policy in this area. The group will address how and when the United States could take steps toward ensuring that nuclear energy remains a part of our energy future. A variety of areas will be considered including environmental considerations, financial structuring, safety, regulatory structures, nonproliferation, trade, domestic economic impact, infrastructure contribution, national security, and waste. The Commission will make recommendations in a report to be completed in 2012. 

Commission Structure and Timeline

• The Commission convened at CSIS on September 14th to review the project’s goals and agree on areas of work for a draft report.
• High-level subgroups made up of commissioners and outside advisors with expertise in a variety of areas will provide input for Critical Work Areas including financial structuring, implications of the Fukushima disaster, supply chain and labor concerns, opportunities for global collaboration, and national security implications.
• In March 2012, CSIS will complete a draft report that will include analysis of Critical Work Areas and will outline additional work areas that will be included in the report’s final iteration. The final report will also contain analysis of several Special Topics, including but not limited to spent nuclear fuel and waste disposal and the nuclear fuel cycle.
• Throughout the summer of 2012, commission members and project staff will present the strategic plan to congressional and administration officials as well as thought leaders interested in nuclear energy and national security.
• The Commission’s goals include providing recommendations that are substantive and actionable; the final report will be a comprehensive, bi-partisan, fact-based and credible treatment of this critical topic.

Full List of Commission Members

Additional information on this commission can be found in the press release "CSIS Establishes U.S. Nuclear Energy Project (USNEP) and Forms New Commission on Nuclear Energy Policy in the United States."