The Ripon Society

ICYMI: China controls 70% of clean energy manufacturing. Russia is locking in nuclear partnerships for generations. America's answer isn't to out-subsidize them — it's to out-innovate them. ClearPath Foundation CEO Jeremy Harrell makes the conservative case for energy dominance in the latest Ripon Forum:

The answer for the U.S. is not to copy or out-subsidize China and Russia. Instead, we should play to our uniquely American strengths and do it with much greater focus. The U.S. still has the best innovation ecosystem in the world. We have deep capital markets, world-class research institutions, top engineering talent and a private sector that can move faster and adapt better than any centrally planned economy. We also have something China does not: a network of allies and partners that want American energy.

First, the U.S. should double down on technologies where we can innovate quickly to define the future instead of chasing where China already has scale. Advanced nuclear is a key technology area where U.S. companies are rapidly innovating small modular reactors (SMRs), microreactors, fusion machines and more. By some estimates, the market for new nuclear generation could reach about $380 billion annually by 2050, presenting a huge strategic and commercial opportunity for American innovators. Enhanced geothermal systems present another technology area where the U.S. currently holds genuine technological superiority over China and Russia with advanced drilling techniques adapted from the oil and gas industry. The International Energy Agency forecasts that geothermal could meet up to 15 percent of global electricity demand growth through 2050. These are not niche technologies. They are high-potential platforms for American leadership.

Second, energy innovation only matters if the technology can be built at speed and scale. That means modernizing permitting, strengthening domestic manufacturing and putting steel in the ground for the infrastructure needed to support rising electricity demand. In this environment, slow approvals for transmission lines, reactors, mines and pipelines are not just frustrating. They are a competitive disadvantage. If it takes America too long to build, our competitors will pass us by and the world will buy from someone else.

Third, for American innovators to win in global energy markets, tools like the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM), the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) can help level the playing field if they are used with a clear strategic purpose. American innovation should not stop at our borders. It should power a stronger global demand for clean, affordable and reliable U.S. energy. But our economic policy tools must be fit for purpose. Reauthorizing and modernizing EXIM this year would be an important step forward. With the right enhancements, EXIM can help scale advanced nuclear, geothermal, LNG infrastructure and other strategic clean energy systems in markets that are growing rapidly. Just as important is better coordination across EXIM, DFC and USTDA, along with closer partnerships with allies. Concepts like Energy Security Compacts offer a practical path by aligning diplomacy, project development, financing and exports into a unified approach.

This strategy is focused on ensuring that America shapes the next generation of global energy systems. The countries that finance and deploy these technologies will do more than win market share. They will build alliances, set standards and strengthen their position in the world all while reducing global emissions.

As Republicans, we should be confident in making that case. Supporting strategic clean energy systems is a practical extension of conservative principles. It means backing innovation, strengthening domestic industry, expanding exports and reducing dependence on adversarial supply chains. It means understanding that energy dominance and global energy leadership go hand in hand.

That’s why the right strategy for American energy dominance is simple: innovate fast, build here and sell globally.

READ MORE: https://riponsociety.org/article/an-american-strategy-for-global-clean-energy-leadership/

TEDDY TWEET OF THE WEEK

“We call to mind the deaths of those who died that the nation might live, who wagered all that life holds dear for the great prize of death in battle.”

Theodore Roosevelt
Remarks on Memorial Day
Arlington, Virginia
May 30, 1902

From May 2017 remarks to The Ripon Society, Congressman Don Bacon, a retired Brigadier General, offered a timeless standard for leadership — one that's especially fitting as we head into Memorial Day weekend:

“I think leaders have to have a noble vision. If you’re in an organization without a noble vision, you feel lost. As a candidate, I wanted a noble vision. And now as a Congressman, I want a noble vision. For me it is about protecting our freedom. It’s about making sure our national security is strong. And that we want to have good opportunities for the next generation economically. That’s sort of my vision. But I think good leaders are selfless — it’s always about the team and the mission. If it ever is about us, then we are a poor leader. I think good leaders have to have moral courage to make tough decisions and be unpopular.

“It’s better to carry a moral compass then a wind vane. You’re going to get to the right place if you’ve got a compass verses the wind vane over time. I believe good leaders have to strive for excellence. I’ve worked for too many people who are happy with a ‘B.’ If you’re happy with a ‘B’, you’re not the right person for that job.”

READ MORE: https://riponsociety.org/2017/05/its-not-about-you-its-about-the-people-around-you/