“Well, you really need to pay closer attention I think.”
To me the essential element that always doomed it was that there are too many Dem senators from states that produce coal for this ever to pass. If they try to do it with regulation those Senators will still step in and block it. If your electric bill doubles in one month you are going to be fuming mad and you will definitely know who is to blame. Dems always try to obfuscate how something gets paid for, but they can’t hide this one.
It's never that simple. While I don't have the numbers at my fingertips the number of coal projects canceled over the past year has been substantial. New Nuclear projects are having trouble getting traction for various reasons but primarily uncertainty of the regulatory environment and the cost of that regulation. Abandonment of Yacca mountain is the handwriting on the wall from this administration as well as the appointment of antinuclear commissioner to run the NRC and anti coal & nuclear to head the Energy department. We are talking about very serious investments and years of development. Even a coal plant takes 2 to 3 years to construct and a nuclear plant 6 to 10. Who is going to make that kind of commitment with an uncertain regulatory environment? There are lots of ways to kill a technology and they will use as many as necessary.