Graduation Year
2026
Date of Submission
4-2026
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Government
Reader 1
Michael Fortner
Terms of Use & License Information
Abstract
Nuclear energy has re-emerged as a central priority in American energy policy. This thesis examines the Trump administration’s efforts to support nuclear energy development and plant restarts, and asks whether today’s nuclear renaissance represents a critical juncture for nuclear energy policy. By analyzing American, French, and Swedish nuclear energy history, this thesis applies a three-variable analytical framework, state autonomy and administrative structure, political permeability, and crisis influence, to identify the institutional conditions necessary for durable policy change and evaluate the structural characteristics of this new environment. The central finding is that today’s push is distinct from prior attempts at expansion, driven by private sector demand from artificial intelligence and data center growth, regulatory reform, and geopolitical tensions that together create a self-reinforcing environment no previous nuclear movements achieved. Whether this environment will produce lasting stability for the nuclear industry, however, remains an open question.
Recommended Citation
Otte, Henry P., "The Tech-Nuclear Renaissance: A New Critical Juncture for American Nuclear Energy Policy" (2026). CMC Senior Theses. 4082.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/4082
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