ELI5: Why is there so much opposition to nuclear power?

Fear and ignorance. I'm a non-licensed operator(equipment operator) at a NPP so perhaps I'm biased, but the US nuclear industry is the safest and most regulated industry in the entire world. The amount of training every vital employee receives and continues to receive(and tested on) through their career is astronomical. Their are dozens upon dozens of safeguards for every minor to major system in the plant that can be ran with or without functioning power. Security at plants rival military bases with armed guards, razor wire fences, motion detectors, concrete blockades, and multiple levels of biometric/identity scanners. The stations are built so well that they can literally withstand a direct hit from an jumbo jet. Also, all vital components for the operation are run in an analogue manner so outside hacking or cyber warfare is impossible.

About environmental concerns, there is no safer/cleaner method of power generation. Here's a fun fact, the amount of fissile material ever used in the world for power generation could fit inside an american football field up to the goal post(the height of an average fuel rod). The freak accidents like TMI and Chernobyl are virtually impossible with 'modern' designs. And about the possible danger to radiation workers...the NRC(Nuclear Regulatory Commission) limits workers to 'only' be exposed to 5000MRem per year, most companies limit this to 2000MRem a year, but even then, workers generally recieve less than a sixth of that, or half the amount that the average citizen gets from background radiation per year.(~500Mrem/year)

/r/explainlikeimfive Thread