Rebirth for nuclear fuel

On October 8, President Ronald Reagan issued a major policy statement on nuclear power. In doing so, he sought to reverse what a preinauguration energy task force had characterized as the Carter Administration's policy of “benign neglect” toward nuclear power. Specifically, the President's statement outlined steps designed to rescue the nuclear industry from its current doldrums, caused largely by lingering doubts about reactor safety following the accident at the Three Mile Island reactor, coupled with decreasing U.S. demand for electricity and escalating reactor costs. This offered a more favorable view of those advanced developments that nuclear proponents see as vital to the long-term future of nuclear power - that is, the reprocessing of commercial nuclear fuels and the development of the plutonium breeder reactor.