New England governors back nuclear in bipartisan push

State of play: Democrats like Gov. Maura Healey, Connecticut's Ned Lamont, Maine's Janet Mills and Rhode Island's Dan McKee joined Republicans Kelly Ayotte from New Hampshire and Phil Scott from Vermont on a joint pledge Tuesday to direct state energy agencies to examine building advanced nuclear power systems.

• The guvs' agreement has two tracks: preserving the region's existing, but aging, nuclear plants while exploring sites for next-generation reactors.
• They say they'll only put reactors in communities willing to host them, so community input and local decision-making are top priorities.

The big picture: The announcement fits into a national push to fast-track nuclear construction.

• At last week's CERAWeek conference in Houston, energy industry executives described how to streamline nuclear development.

Between the lines: Healey was already pretty bullish on nuclear, having directed Massachusetts agencies to seek out new nuclear power opportunities.

What we're watching: UMass Lowell is developing nuclear and fusion energy roadmaps that should inform Massachusetts decision-makers on the path forward.