Tennessee helped usher America into the nuclear age. Fromthe Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge to the nuclear research and energy production taking place across our state today, Tennessee has spent generations building the expertise, workforce and institutions that have made America a global nuclear leader.
Now, as the nation works to restore its nuclear leadership, Tennessee has an opportunity to help shape what comes next. President Donald Trump’s decision to make Tennessee one of five finalists for a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus gives us a chance to build on our history and lead America’s nuclear future.
This is about more than nuclear energy. It is about jobs, investment and economic opportunity for Tennesseans. A Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation
Campus could attract up to $50 billion in capital investment, generate as much as $10 billion in state and local tax revenue and create nearly 25,000 jobs.
Those jobs would extend far beyond scientists and engineers. A project of this scale would require skilled tradesmen, technicians, construction workers, manufacturers and countless other professionals. Tennessee companies could become part of an expanding nuclear supply chain, creating opportunities for small businesses and manufacturers across our state.
That means more Tennesseans earning good wages, more businesses expanding and more families building their futures here at home.
Tennessee is uniquely positioned to compete for this investment. Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex give us world-class scientific and national-security capabilities. TVA has decades of experience producing reliable nuclear power, and our universities and technical colleges are preparing the workforce needed for the jobs of tomorrow.
We also have a business climate that has helped Tennessee attract major investments while maintaining a strong fiscal position.
I have always believed economic development should be about more than announcing a new project. It should be about making investments that produce lasting results for taxpayers and create opportunities for the next generation. That means maintaining fiscal discipline, keeping Tennessee competitive and making sure our workforce is prepared for the industries that will drive our economy in the future.
President Trump has made restoring American nuclear leadership, strengthening domestic manufacturing and achieving greater energy independence national priorities. Tennessee can help make those goals a reality.
America needs reliable energy to power our factories, businesses and communities. We need to rebuild our domestic nuclear supply chain. And we need good-paying American jobs.
Tennessee can help provide all three.
Our state has already attracted major investment in advanced nuclear technology, and we have the research institutions, workforce and industrial capabilities necessary to build on that momentum.
The Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus could put Tennessee at the center of America’s nuclear renaissance.
Being named a finalist is an important recognition of what Tennessee has to offer, but the competition is not over. We must continue making the case that Tennessee has the workforce, infrastructure, experience and business climate necessary to make this investment succeed.
I am confident we can do that.
Tennessee helped America enter the nuclear age. Now we have an opportunity to help lead America’s nuclear renaissance and create thousands of good Tennessee jobs along the way.
That is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.
Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally is a Republican from Oak Ridge.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee can lead America’s nuclear renaissance | Opinion
