Joe Dominguez recently took the stand in front the U.S. Congress to testify.

During his testimony, he urged lawmakers to authorize and fully fund legislation that would provide up to $3.5 billion for investments in domestic fuel sources for the nuclear energy industry. 

Dominguez cited risks to the environment, energy grid reliability and national security if America’s nuclear industry lacks sufficient nuclear fuel in coming years as a result of global disruptions in the supply chain.

His message was broken down into three key parts.

The first highlighted the criticality of nuclear power to the nation’s energy security, environmental secuirty and national security. 

“It is imperative that we work together to urgently reestablish the United States as a world leader in providing conversation and enrichment services,” said Dominguez. 

The second point was that the United States is on the verge of a crisis in conversion and enrichment markets.

The bipartisan Nuclear Fuel Security Act proposed by Senators Joe Manchin and John Barrasso would direct the U.S. Department of Energy to establish a nuclear fuel program to onshore nuclear fuel production and create a secure supply for the U.S. fleet. 

While multiple western suppliers have said they could bring additional supply online by 2028, Dominguez is urging Congress to act quickly to spur investment. 

“It is critical that we re-shore our capabilities to overcome global dominance by Russia in these areas,” Dominguez said. “We do not have time to wait: In the world of nuclear fuel, 2028 is tomorrow… It is important that we have both a diversity of supply and a diversity of suppliers. 

The third point called for the Department of Energy to use their existing authority to accelerate the deployment of new enrichment technologies using funds that were previously made available for High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) production. 

Nuclear energy provides more than half of all carbon-free electricity produced in the U.S. and is essential to addressing the climate crisis.

It is also the most reliable form of 24/7 energy on the grid, supplying 20% of the nation’s total electricity and helping to prevent rolling blackouts when climate change-driven extreme weather events force fossil power plants offline due to equipment failures and disruptions to fuel supplies. 

Dominguez is the President & CEO of Constellation, the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free energy and a leading competitive retail supplier of power and energy products. 

Headquartered in Baltimore, it employs over 13,000 workers, produces more than 32,400 megawatts of power, and serves more than 15 million homes and businesses with clear energy. 

Over the past two decades, Dominguez has established himself as one of the leading voices of the energy industry.

With more than a decade of experience with Exelon before being named the CEO of ComEd, Dominguez was then named the new President and CEO of Constellation in October 2021 before officially settling into the role in February 2022.

His testimony before the U.S. Congress is a representation of the long way Latinos have come in industries and corporate settings where their faces and voices have long been missing.