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From 1968 to the 1983 cancellation of the Clinch River Breeder Reactor, the Atomic Energy Commission and related agencies spent tens of billions of dollars developing breeder reactor and commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing technologies. Early in the history of nuclear energy there was concern that there wasn't enough uranium to meet projected demand, so countries around the world were rushing to try to develop breeder and reprocessing technology to expand the fuel supply. France, the Soviet Union, and Japan were prominent in developing them. By the 1960s it was clear that there wasn't a shortage and the technologies would not be commercially viable for decades, but the programs persisted. They were major initiatives throughout the 1970s, going on into the 1980s and in some cases even the 1990s. A few even continue today.
What if instead of spending tens of billions of dollars on reprocessing and breeder reactor technology ($20 billion on the United States breeder reactor programs alone), the countries spent their money on other initiatives in nuclear power or energy in general?