Nuclear plants are important economic engines for both our country and the communities where they operate. Supporting about 475,000 jobs, they provide hard-working Americans with high-paying, long-term employment, generate billions of dollars in economic activity and provide consumers and businesses with reliable, around-the-clock electricity at a low cost. Nuclear plants contribute nearly $60 billion annually to America’s GDP and more than $12 billion each year in local, state and federal tax revenue.
At the state and local level, nuclear energy plants strengthen economies through jobs, taxes, and direct and secondary spending. Each of the nation’s nuclear reactors employs between 500 and 800 workers at wages that are more than twice the national median hourly wage. These plants often serve as the lifeblood in the small communities where they operate, with each plant contributing millions in state and local taxes and annual payroll. They also provide much-needed funding for schools, roads and infrastructure projects.
The early closure of nuclear plants has a devastating impact in towns where these plants supported local communities for years. Towns that experience the shuttering of a nuclear plant often suffer from cuts in services and school funding, higher property taxes and an exodus of their skilled workforce.
Investing in advanced nuclear technology has enormous long-term potential, but these benefits are not exclusive to the future. Investing in new technologies creates jobs now and generates even more economic activity down the line.
Given these tremendous economic benefits as well as nuclear power’s carbon-free, reliable energy production, it is more important than ever to support nuclear energy in the U.S. and preserve our existing plants.
Feeling energized about fueling the livelihoods of nearly half a million Americans? So are we. In just a few clicks, you can send a pre-drafted letter to let your representatives know why they should support the economic powerhouse that is nuclear energy.
