Nuclear Power: A Now-Embraceable 3rd Rail of Bipartisan Accord in Energy Debate

Indian Point Nuclear Power plant, which sits on the east bank of the Hudson River about 36 miles north of Manhattan, had provided up to a quarter of the New Yori City’s electrical needs before it ceased operations in 2021, one of many aging plants among the 55 that remain operational in the United States. Photo by Stephen Chernin/Getty Images

Behind long-dredged but deepening trenches, Democrats lobby for renewables—wind, solar, biomass—and Republicans rally for fossil fuels—oil, gas, coal—with both sides claiming their polar policies plot the best ways forward to a national future secured by reliable, affordable domestic energy.

Between both lines, but not drawing partisan fire, shimmers nuclear energy, the one power neither party wants to pull the plug on.