The view from the proving grounds for next-generation nuclear reactors, Atomic City, Idaho
Atomic City, Idaho, is serving as a testing ground for a new generation of small, modular nuclear reactors. Startups are successfully achieving critical chain reactions, signaling a potential resurgence in nuclear energy technology.
Why it matters
Advancements in micro-reactor technology could provide a scalable, carbon-free energy solution to meet rising global electricity demands.
People still smoke indoors at the bar in Atomic City, Idaho, population 52. The walls are plastered with one dollar bills and a Don't Tread On Me flag.
"Where were you Monday?" bar and nearby race track owner Vickie O'Haro asks one of her regulars.
O'Haro knows her customers orders without asking: cold beers or shots called atomic bombs — fitting since most of her customers work down the road at Idaho National Laboratory, or INL, America's nuclear energy testgrounds since 1949.
A March Gallup poll shows a majority of Americans still oppose a nuclear energy plant in their area, but that's not the case here
" I live 10 miles away, and I'm fine," O'Haro said. "I'm not glowing in the dark, you know? There's nothing to be scared of."
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