Gotta go nuclear. At the moment there's no other realistic choice.
No other choice, really.
And the US should get realistic about hazards. Compare with the coal or petroleum industries for fatalities and long-range health effects.
The US defence industry has been handling nuclear material, tons of it, apparently with some measure of reasonable safety. Been transporting nuclear warheads all over the world, that sort of thing.
And there are plenty of safe places for nuclear waste, plenty of safe ways to transport it.
Arf