Power America
Fuel Freedom. Power America.
Fuel Freedom. Power America.
Affordable, reliable power is the predicate for modern American prosperity because energy is the industry that powers every other industry. It is also the first precondition for a strong national defense, as a strong defense-industrial base is built on a strong commercial-industrial base. Through the Power America Campaign, our policy experts will work at all levels of government for solutions that will stop the attack on reliable energy, bring dispatchable resources such as coal, natural gas, and fission energy onto the grid, and power the next wave of innovation in nuclear power, batteries, and refining.
Today, the America First Policy Institute’s (AFPI) Ted Ellis, deputy director for Energy and Environment Policy, testified before the House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains, on the need to power American businesses.
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) respectfully submits these comments on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC or Commission) proposed rule, “Reforming and Modernizing the NRC’s Radiation Protection Framework.” AFPI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute dedicated to advancing policies that promote American prosperity, security, and energy abundance. Because a reliable, rapidly expanding nuclear sector is central to meeting projected load growth and keeping energy affordable, AFPI has a strong interest in a radiation-protection framework that protects workers and the public while removing open-ended obligations that raise costs and slow deployment without measurable safety benefit. AFPI has previously called for reconsideration of the “as low as is reasonably achievable” (ALARA) principle as part of broader reforms to facilitate nuclear deployment.
Affordable, reliable energy is the foundation of American prosperity. Families need electricity they can afford; businesses need dependable power to expand, hire, and compete; and communities need reliable energy infrastructure that supports investment and growth. Nationally, the United States needs abundant domestic energy to remain the world’s leading economy, military power, and technological innovator.
Colorado sits at the center of one of America's most productive onshore energy systems. In 2025, the state produced 170.5 million barrels of crude oil and 1.87 trillion cubic feet of marketed natural gas (U.S. Energy Information Administration [EIA], 2026a; EIA, 2026b), accounting for about 3–4% of U.S. crude oil output and a similar single-digit share of national marketed natural gas production (EIA, 2025; EIA, 2026c). Production from the Denver-Julesburg Basin helps supply energy to homes, businesses, manufacturers, and farms across the region while generating significant revenues for Colorado communities.
Recent action by the Trump administration has made historic strides to free up energy production, reduce burdensome regulations, and repeal harmful and unnecessary rules. In particular, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Energy Secretary Chris Wright have made significant progress in reducing the regulatory pressure on energy production. From the EPA’s “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history” to the notable reduction of “47 burdensome and costly regulations” by the DOE, the administration has effectively moved the country from a net-zero to energy dominance focus.
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