U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced that the department is removing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) requirements as the agency looks to streamline the process of bids and proposals from American developers.
“We released, you know, sort of a request for bids and proposals from developers in the United States for small modular reactors. The nuclear renaissance has been long talked about, but it just hasn’t happened yet. We want to make it happen,” Wright exclusively told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria” Wednesday.
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“So, one of the things we did from a previous draft was strip out the DEI language. Nuclear energy is about power in your homes and your businesses and hospitals. It’s not about politics or skin color or sex, it’s about energy,” the secretary continued. “So, we’re just bringing common sense back and want to get nuclear power going.”
President Donald Trump signed an order on his first day in office directing federal agencies to terminate all “equity-related” grants or contracts. He signed a follow-up order requiring federal contractors to certify that they don’t promote DEI.
The Department of Energy previously told Fox News Digital that it had identified and canceled more than $124 million in nonessential expenditures, some of which included DEI initiatives.
“There’s tons of great American companies that are spending private capital to develop next-generation nuclear technologies that are small, manufacturable. And factories assemble quick on location – they’re safe. Everything in the world goes wrong, and the reactors just automatically shut themselves off,” Wright said.
“So there’s really some great technologies, and we just want the focus on technology and energy. I think it’s just common sense.”
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Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
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