Idk at least we're able to capture all the waste vs fossil fuels where we just release it into the atmosphere. I think there's some ok arguments for reprocessing the fuel and getting something like 70% of the uranium back. Switching to thorium also would help as it has a much shorter half life and doesn't have the same saftey/proliferation concerns. (Hasnt been done because traditional thorium fuel rods are supposadly very expensive to make) also storing it onsite kinda seems like a viable solution. As I understand it not all of the waste is fule either alot of it is just gloves and equipment used by operators that they store out of an abundance of caution

As I understand that's still ongoing but the Idaho one is an NRC licensed design which is a key barrier.

They're working on it. Site prep is underway for America's first commercial small modular nuclear reactor. It's going to be in Idaho and will basically provide power to Utah. The department of energy gave them $1 Billion for the first plant. Construction begins in 2024 and should be finished by 2030 if everthing goes well. An identical plant is also going to be built in Romania aswell. If things go well it should be much cheaper as many of the components are off the shelf parts that are also used in natural gas plants. It's also already been certified by the nuclear regulatory commission which has been a big hurdle.

https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/doe-approves-award-carbon-free-power-project