I have a couple rules of thumb that I hope help me cut through some of the noise around various policy proposals and political debates.

One has to do with budgetary reform (a topic I covered at some length last week): If the plan doesn’t engage with entitlements, then it isn’t really a serious proposal.

The same goes for policies that have to do with environmental stewardship, and particularly those focused on lowering carbon emissions. If nuclear power isn’t a significant element of the proposed sources of energy in the future, then it really isn’t a serious proposal.

Guess what’s missing from the ‘Green New Deal’(or at least some versions of it)?

As the FAQ for Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s bill puts it,

Is nuclear a part of this?

A Green New Deal is a massive investment in renewable energy production andwould not include creating new nuclear plants. It’s unclear if we will be able mission every nuclear plant within 10 years, but the plan is to transition off ofnuclear and all fossil fuels as soon as possible.

I’ve long contended that the responsible stewardship of God’s creation involves the recognition that there is no perfect fuel and that realistically speaking, nuclear has to be among the alternatives moving forward.