ClearPath Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, that is focused on "conservative clean energy". According to a press release, the organization was founded to propose and support policies that accelerate

clean energy Clean may refer to: * Cleaning, the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment * Cleanliness, the state of being clean and free from dirt Arts and media Music Al ...

without expanding the size of government.

History

ClearPath was founded by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

entrepreneur and philanthropist Jay Faison in 2013 to change the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

viewpoint on clean energy. After selling his majority stake in the audio-visual company SnapAV, Faison donated US$165 million to start ClearPath, with a mission of "accelerating conservative clean energy solutions"

Activities

ClearPath advances its mission through "strategic grant-making, advocacy, and digital platforms", and focuses on energy policy, polling, and analysis.

Principles

The ClearPath website lists five principles used for analyzing policy. ClearPath believes in "small government,

free markets In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ot ...

, and American innovation", as well as pollution risk management, cost-benefit analysis and

energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to (relatively) cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven ...

Policy Areas

Nuclear energy Nuclear energy may refer to: *Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity * Nuclear binding energy, the energy needed to fuse or split a nucleus of an atom *Nuclear potential energy ...

– ClearPath proposes expanded use of nuclear power in the United States, calling it "one of America's greatest success stories". In particular, they support existing nuclear plants, as well as advanced nuclear such as

small modular reactors Small modular reactors (SMRs) are a proposed class of nuclear fission reactors, smaller than conventional nuclear reactors, which can be built in one location (such as a factory), then shipped, commissioned, and operated at a separate site. The ...

and

generation IV reactors Generation IV reactors (Gen IV) are six nuclear reactor designs recognized by the Generation IV International Forum. The designs target improved safety, sustainability, efficiency, and cost. The most developed Gen IV reactor design is the sodium ...

. In February 2016, ClearPath's CEO Jay Faison proposed developing "super-competitive, next-generation" nuclear reactors. *

Hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...

– ClearPath supports hydropower development, calling it "one of America’s most overlooked energy resources". They propose expanding

electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histor ...

of non-powered dams, hydropower financing reform, and permitting reform. * Energy Innovation – ClearPath supports increased basic energy research funding for the

Department of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-rel ...

(DOE) to accelerate development, and propose paying for increased research through expanded oil and gas drilling. They also propose giving private companies greater access to the DOE's national labs.

References

External links

* {{authority control Conservation and environmental foundations in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. Organizations based in Charlotte, North Carolina Political advocacy groups in the United States Energy organizations