Nuclear Power and the free market

There has been a lot of talk about our need to be getting more of our electricity from nuclear power, and of course a lot of people raising concerns in view of what has been happening in Japan.  But for all you free market get the government off our back types, there is one more tiny little gotcha.

A lot of the free market types (except for the tiny percentage that is ultra rich, who are living off your back, and your tax dollars) believe in self reliance.  That means taking responsibility for your actions, and the consequences of those actions.  Sometimes you take risks and you lose, and you suffer those losses.  This is essentially the way the rapidly diminishing middle class lives today.

But when you are talking about nuclear power, there is a different set of rules.  The Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act limits the liability of the operators and builders of these power plants.  And the government offers loan guarantees for the construction of new ones.  These were part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and there has been a proposal by the Obama administration to expand them significantly.

So I pose these questions.

• If they are really safe, and it is the intent of the operators to operate them in a safe manner, then why can they not purchase private insurance.  Why are they unwilling to accept the consequences of their own actions?  
• If the consequences of their actions are limited by law, what is their incentive to not cut corners?  After all, if they screw up, you pay for it, not them
• If nuclear power plants are such a good bet, why cannot the money be found on the private market?

So all of you rugged individualist types, how does the idea of subsidizing a power plant on the other side of the county with your tax dollars sound to you?