A lot of the problem comes from the excessive, ridiculous, way-too-onerous over-regulation of nuclear power plants. Over-regulation brought on by an irrational fear of nuclear power- a fear fostered (and herein I put my conspiracy theory hat) by oil lobbying groups, who identified nuclear as one of the few energy solutions that would jeopardize their energy monopoly.

What I never understood is why Exxon/BP/etc never positioned themselves to corner nuclear/solar/etc. At their level, pivoting from being a "Gas Company" to an "Energy Company" seems like a no-brainer. Who cares which energy source wins, if you own all the energy sources?