Spencer Fane attorney John L. Watson authored the article Times they are-a-changin’, recently published by Nuclear Engineering International.
In the article, which originated as two firm blog posts (found here and here), John explains that U.S. nuclear power, after decades of stalled growth, is now experiencing renewed interest as a key source of low-carbon energy. He notes that policy changes, technological advances, and rising electricity demand, particularly from AI and data centers, are helping drive a resurgence in the sector. However, he emphasizes that nuclear energy’s future will depend on overcoming long-standing challenges.
“The future of nuclear energy in the U.S. stands at a critical juncture, balancing the urgent necessity of carbon-free baseload power against significant economic and logistical headwinds,” John wrote. “While the resurgence of interest in SMRs and advanced, next-generation technologies offers a pathway to faster, safer, and more flexible deployment, the industry must overcome high capital costs, supply chain limitations, and regulatory challenges to succeed.”
At the firm, John leverages his in-depth commercial trial and litigation knowledge to represent clients in a variety of complex commercial cases, including breach of contract actions; real estate and land development; special district litigation; construction disputes between contractors and subcontractors; securities litigation; public land and natural resources law; mining; oil and gas; wildlife; toxic tort; Superfund; and air, water, and waste environmental cases.
Read John’s full article here.