Thorium-fueled fission reactors have been investigated decades ago at Oak Ridge National Labs, and promise cheaper power with far fewer radioactive byproducts with much shorted half-lives. Additionally, these byproducts are very difficult to weaponize. These reactors can also be designed such that they cannot melt down or explode, making the risk of a Chernobyl or Fukushima event practically impossible. The United States has an abundance of thorium, enough for hundreds of years, and these reactors can even burn nuclear waste from traditional uranium and plutonium-fueled reactors. We just need to finish the research needed to safely commercialize it. India and China are already developing such reactors - let's not allow them to beat us in this area.
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