NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Whatever happened to all those new nuclear power plants the country was supposed to build?

Last year, with energy prices soaring and global warming making headlines, talk of a so-called "nuclear renaissance" was rampant. Energy experts, utility heads, even presidential candidates called for the construction of dozens of new plants. Billions were going to be spent. Investing magazines ran stories on how to get in on the action.


Then the credit crisis struck, energy prices collapsed, and the Democrats won the White House. Nuclear renaissance seemed all but dead.

But it's not dead, it's just on life support. As the greenhouse gas bill moves through Congress, billions more in taxpayer money could soon be deployed to resuscitate the movement.

Supporters say that's essential to jumpstart a clean, dependable source of power. Critics say it will keep the country reliant on a dangerous and expensive technology.