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U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross speaks at the SelectUSA 2018 Investment Summit on June 22, 2018 in National Harbor, Maryland. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has opened an investigation into whether U.S. dependence on uranium imports poses a threat to national security.
Why it matters: Domestic production of uranium, which is a key resource for both nuclear weapons and the nuclear reactors that power 20% of the American electric grid, have dropped from 49% of total uranium requirements in 1987 to 5% today. The investigation could ultimately result in new tariffs at a moment when more than half of America's nuclear reactors are losing money, according to Bloomberg.