The view from the proving grounds for next-generation nuclear reactors, Atomic City, Idaho

A new generation of small nuclear reactors is poised to come online in the next few years. Public opinion remains split.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4000x2667+0+0/resize/4000x2667!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F90%2Fed%2F43e218274b86ad053ad28bbe4649%2Fdsc07682.jpg' alt='Arco, Idaho is among the small towns near Idaho National Laboratory with a decades-long nuclear energy legacy.'/><p>A new generation of small nuclear reactors is poised to come online in the next few years. Public opinion remains split.<br><br></p><p>(Image credit: Hanna Merzbach)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5884029' />