**Jimmy Carter outlawed it here, that's the only reason we aren't doing it now.**
I am not familiar with anything Carter did with respect to nuclear fuel. What did they do to prevent us from "recycling" fuel, and why?
US may overturn nuclear fuel reprocessing ban
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/us/dn8639-us-may-overturn-nuclear-fuel-reprocessing-ban.html