New Mexico Nuclear Alliance begins its advocacy work

November 14, 2025, 7:02AMANS Nuclear Cafe

The New Mexico Nuclear Alliance made its official debut as a nuclear energy advocate in late October, when founder Scott Lopez spoke with state lawmakers during a meeting of the New Mexico legislature’s Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committee, held at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.

Advanced reactors: Lopez, the trade group’s CEO and president, said he started the alliance after moderating a panel discussion on nuclear power and realizing that there was no trade association in New Mexico to advocate for policy and economic development for the state’s nuclear industry, according to a news story from Source NM.

Lopez’s belief is that New Mexico should focus on small modular reactors and other advanced reactors that may become commercially viable and available in the near future.

Uranium mining: Lopez also said that the alliance supports new uranium mining in the state, provided that tribal groups are properly consulted and that funding, monitoring, and long-term reclamation for legacy mines are part of any deal.

Founding: Although the group officially introduced itself to the legislature last month, Lopez founded the alliance in July as a registered 501(C)(6) nonpartisan membership organization “whose purpose is to support and advocate the role of nuclear energy in our state’s clean energy transition and unlock and grow the economic development potential this baseload clean energy resource represents for our state, including tribal, rural and metro communities,” according to its website.


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