> A specific challenge would-be-conversions must face is that the NRC’s standards—both for atmospheric pollution and for the amount of radiological material a reactor can release—are much tighter than federal standards for coal plants.
But that's not such a challenge. Nuclear power plants don't release atmospheric pollution. As for the radiological material they release, that is generally Tritium; that's in minute quantities, and they have experience dealing with the NRC in this regard.
Nuclear power plants don't emit radiation, so it's really not an issue that those standards are tighter as far as I know.
We just need to end coal plants, immediately.
Coal plants kill 25 people per TWH generated and spread nuclear radiation all over the nearby area. Nuclear plants kill 0.03 people per TWh (between wind and solar), including Chernobyl (killed 4000) and Fukushima (killed 1). [1]
That's good, The engineers are good people, the energy owners are the worst humans on earth and don't care if a melt down is likely, because they are bleeding money when it isn't running. No time to do it right. Instead: Make energy all public, sure pay out the leaches to get rid of them, and run things correctly.
> A specific challenge would-be-conversions must face is that the NRC’s standards—both for atmospheric pollution and for the amount of radiological material a reactor can release—are much tighter than federal standards for coal plants.