Then, in the mid-1980s, came the Chernobyl disaster. In the 1990s, nuclear power companies worked to soften their image, but critics say that is only part of the reason for nuclear energy's rebirth. If it's fought in the public domain, nuclear power will lose. The top six operators run about half of the nation's 103 nuclear reactors. Opponents of nuclear power contend the politics have changed but the danger has not.
Plants store their high-level radioactive waste in pools or in dry containers.
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