In the dawn of the nuclear age, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Lewis L. Strauss predicted in 1954 that atomic fission would produce electricity so abundantly and cheaply that it would not have to be metered: the American people could just pay a low monthly charge and use as much as they wished. That naive optimism has long since vanished in the wake of zooming construction costs, endless delays in getting plants built and growing public opposition. In 22 years of commercial operation, nuclear power has won only a modest role in the nation's...
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