Testimony of Armond Cohen, Executive Director, Clean Air Task Force

The testimony argues that a diverse portfolio of zero-carbon energy sources, including nuclear, is essential for the U.S. to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. While acknowledging challenges such as high costs and delays in recent projects, the author highlights the advantages of nuclear energy as a dispatchable, high-power-density source capable of producing carbon-free heat and hydrogen. The document specifically supports the Advanced Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2020's goals of preserving existing plants and researching non-electric applications, but urges the removal of provisions that would further streamline environmental permitting, arguing that strong standards are necessary for public trust.

• Achieving a carbon-free energy economy in the United States by 2050 will require a massive scale-up of zero-carbon electricity, potentially needing the construction of up to 35 average Gigawatts per year, which is five to ten times the historical deployment rate.
• Nuclear energy offers distinct advantages for decarbonization, including being 'dispatchable' (not weather-dependent), having high power density that requires significantly less land and transmission capacity than wind or solar, and the ability to provide carbon-free heat for industrial processes and hydrogen production.
• High costs and construction delays in recent U.S. and European nuclear projects are not inevitable; they are primarily driven by a 'bespoke “project” model' focusing on on-site construction and 'one off' projects rather than standardized manufacturing and repeated builds.
• Advanced reactor designs (such as fast reactors, liquid metal, molten salt, and gas-cooled reactors) could significantly reduce costs, improve safety through passive systems, and offer a levelized cost of energy averaging $60/MWH, with some as low as $40/MWH.
• The Clean Air Task Force recommends removing Sections 201 and 203 of the Advanced Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2020, arguing that further streamlining of environmental regulations like the National Environmental Protection Act is unnecessary and could damage public confidence.
• The author supports specific provisions of the Advanced Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2020, including reports on non-electric nuclear applications, advanced manufacturing, and spent fuel inventories, as well as incentive programs to preserve at-risk nuclear facilities.

APA

Cohen, A. (2020). Testimony of Armond Cohen, Executive Director, Clean Air Task Force. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/21092751/Advanced-Nuclear-Infrastructure-Act-of-2020-Cohen.pdf

Chicago

Cohen, Armond. Testimony of Armond Cohen, Executive Director, Clean Air Task Force. Clean Air Task Force, 2020. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/21092751/Advanced-Nuclear-Infrastructure-Act-of-2020-Cohen.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Cohen |first1=Armond |title=Testimony of Armond Cohen, Executive Director, Clean Air Task Force |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=5 August 2020 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/21092751/Advanced-Nuclear-Infrastructure-Act-of-2020-Cohen.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cohen2020testimony, author = {Cohen, Armond}, title = {{Testimony of Armond Cohen, Executive Director, Clean Air Task Force}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2020}, month = aug, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/21092751/Advanced-Nuclear-Infrastructure-Act-of-2020-Cohen.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }