Polls show that fears over the safety of nuclear plants have receded. In the United States, the presidential candidates are open to nuclear power, though both Democratic aspirants oppose a crucial waste repository the Bush administration wants to build in the Nevada desert. Across much of Europe, governments are reconsidering anti-nuclear policies. India and China have announced plans for vast expansions of their nuclear capacity. Around the world, 14 countries are building nuclear reactors.
In the United States, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has begun reviewing nine applications for licenses to build new reactors, the first since 1979 when a plant at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania came close to a catastrophic nuclear meltdown. The accident caused no casualties but it turned nuclear power into a radioactive political issue. More
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