Returning to Nuclear Power: A Historical Look at the U.S. Experience and Analysis of the Current Obstacles to New Plant Development

As the United States enters the 21st century, the argument over whether nuclear power should once again be pursued in the United States has re-entered the national debate and become a very politicized and divisive issue. President Bush has recommended the building of more nuclear power plants in order to start to address a series of serious economic, political, and environmental issues the U.S is currently facing: these include global warming, energy insecurity, and price volatility. However, if we as a nation decide to pursue nuclear power as part of the solution to these issues, we must evaluate the potential risks, and the current political, economic, and regulatory hurdles that must be overcome to make the idea of a renewed pursuit of nuclear power a reality. This paper will concretely examine two of the current obstacles to new plant development: financial uncertainty and the lack of permanent nuclear waste disposition.