Technology
Trump Administration's Nuclear Energy Plans Involved Downplaying Safety Concerns, Documents Show
In 2023, officials convened at the Idaho National Laboratory to discuss the future of nuclear energy. During the meeting, a lawyer named Seth Cohen, who had recently joined the government via Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency team, seemingly downplayed health and safety considerations regarding nuclear reactor designs.
In the summer of 2023, a meeting took place at the Idaho National Laboratory, a 890-square-mile complex where the U.S. government constructed its first rudimentary nuclear power plant in 1951. The meeting's agenda centred on the future of nuclear energy during President Trump's administration. Seth Cohen, a 31-year-old lawyer, led the discussion. Cohen, who had recently entered government service through Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency team, had limited prior experience in nuclear law or policy. During a technical conversation about licensing nuclear reactor designs, Cohen seemingly downplayed health and safety issues, according to sources.
Key Facts
- A meeting was held in 2023 at the Idaho National Laboratory to discuss nuclear energy.
- Seth Cohen, a lawyer with limited nuclear experience, led the meeting.
- Cohen joined the government through Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
- Participants discussed licensing nuclear reactor designs.
- Cohen seemingly downplayed health and safety concerns during the meeting.
- Staff raised the issue of radiation exposure from nuclear test sites.
- Babies and pregnant women are typically afforded greater protection regarding radiation exposure.
- Vulnerable groups are thought to be potentially more susceptible to cancers from low-level radiation exposure.
Primary Source
Research Sources
- Ars Technica — DOGE goes nuclear: How Trump invited Silicon Valley into America’s nuclear power regulator