America’s Nuclear Future | C4E Presents: National Special #001

This special episode of Collaborative for the Earth (C4E) examines how U.S. efforts to move away from fossil fuels collide with surging electricity demand from AI and data centers, prompting companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google to pursue nuclear power. Distributed by American Public Media from January through April 2026, C4E presents in its first national radio broadcast the history of nuclear energy in the United States, from Eisenhower’s 1953 “Atoms for Peace” through Three Mile Island, and changing public opinion under the Trump administration. Today, approximately 94 reactors supply just over 18% of U.S. utility-scale electricity. The narrative episode explores the restarting of shuttered plants, the promise and skepticism around small modular reactors, and shifts in energy policy as climate solutions that were discussed during an April 2025 Governor’s Island forum debate, in partnership with The New York Climate Exchange.Learn more with: SBU’s Collaborative for the Earth Debuts National Broadcast Special on Nuclear EnergySBU Hosts 2nd Annual Environmental Forum on Nuclear Energy’s Role in Climate SolutionsUnderstanding Nuclear Energy with C4E’s ‘Nuclear 101’ ConversationSkip ahead to the chapter that interests you:01:25 Three Mile Island Shock04:05 Nuclear Numbers Shift05:54 Why This Podcast07:21 AI Power Hunger11:13 Restarting Old Reactors13:47 Debating Nuclear Role20:47 Safety After Fukushima25:34 Regulation Lessons Learned27:01 Nuclear Waste Dilemma31:31 Do We Need Nuclear32:50 Long Island Case Study35:28 Build Times and Costs37:23 Safety Versus Speed41:10 Geopolitics and Supply Chains45:43 Four Paths to Expand47:43 Small Modular Reactor Hype51:55 Financing the Nuclear BetTell a friend and share a link to this episode.You can find all our episodes at www.stonybrook.edu/c4e or wherever you stream audio.Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/c4e/newsletters.phpFor all things Stony Brook on social media: https://gosbu.co/m/socialC4E Presents is a production of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.Special thanks to The New York Climate Exchange and Stony Brook’s Office of the Provost, Office of Marketing and Communications and the MS in Journalism program for their support.Host: Heather LynchWriter: J.D. AllenEditors: Terry Sheridan, Lori KieProducers: Jordan Vallone, Melanie FormosaPost Production: Denis Murray Program Manager: Jennifer Gilday