I'd just like to point out that we don't magically make uranium; it already exists naturally in deposits, still emitting radiation. All we do is refine and concentrate it.
France has managed to do nuclear power so well because all of their plants are run by the government. When they want to build a new plant, they improve the most recent design and have it built to the same standards. In the states, each plant is offered as a contract and so there's no consistency in design or procedures, each plant is its own creature. I think if the US could do nuclear the way France does, we'd be pretty well off. In the current political climate however, I don't think that will happen anytime soon.
