đ Welcome to The Nuclear Inner Critic.
Nuclear power is experiencing a global resurgenceâbut its mandate is fragile. Public trust, regulatory clarity, and project execution will determine whether this moment becomes a durable success or another cycle of missed opportunities. The Nuclear Inner Critic examines these challenges with constructive scrutiny, grounded in three guiding principles: transparency, accountability, and safety.
Iâm Michael Ford, a nuclear executive, Certified Health Physicist, and radiological engineer. Over the past four decades, Iâve worked across the U.S. Department of Energy weapons complex, with nuclear contractors, and alongside state and federal regulators. My career has spanned radiation protection, waste and spent fuel management, safety culture, and compliance. I have participated directly in NRC licensing actions and worked closely with licensee operations, giving me firsthand perspective on how regulation meets operational reality.
Beyond the technical and regulatory, I served for more than 15 years as a Texas state official, including as Chair of the Texas Radiation Advisory Board and the inaugural Chair of the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission, shaping public health and energy policy at the state and interstate level.
Equally important, I have held integral roles during organizational failures and in preventing them. At times, that meant being threatened with the loss of my own position for speaking upâyet those experiences provided me with acute insights into the small signals of large failures. Those lessons, earned in high-stakes environments, inform the way I analyze nuclear safety culture, governance, and project execution today.
That dual vantage pointâinside nuclear facilities and licensing proceedings, in state and federal policy, and in the crucible of organizational stressâshapes the perspective youâll find here.
Each week, youâll have a choice: read or listen. Episodes are paired with full blog-text essays so you can take in the content however you prefer. Free subscribers receive all posts and podcasts. Paid members gain access to practical tools like the NIC Scorecard, inspection checklists, and early access to deep-dive content.
If youâre new, start with the cornerstone posts below. If youâve been following on LinkedIn, thank youânowâs the time to join the community here on Substack, where the full conversation lives.
đ Cornerstone Posts â Start Here Reading Path
How to Use These Posts
If youâre new to nuclear â Start with Waste 101 and NRC 101.
If youâre an industry practitioner â Jump into Safety Culture and SMR reality checks.
If youâre an investor or policymaker â Donât miss Nuclear Finance 101.
1. Waste 101: From Fuel to Final Form
Nuclear waste is often treated as the industryâs Achillesâ heel, but the real story is both more technical and more nuanced. This post explains the types of nuclear waste, how theyâre managed, and what long-term solutions look like.
Why it matters: Waste policy is where engineering, regulation, and public trust intersectâand where failures have historically done the most damage.
đ [Read Waste 101]
2. NRC 101: How Rules Actually Move
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission sets the guardrails for everything nuclear. But how does a rule actually get made, changed, or challenged? This post walks you through the NRCâs processâhearings, dockets, rulemakingsâin plain language.
Why it matters: If you want to understand nuclearâs pace and bottlenecks, you have to understand the NRC.
đ [Read NRC 101]
3. SMRs: Hype vs. Hard Edges
Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are marketed as nuclearâs futureâcheaper, safer, faster. This post separates hype from reality by examining technology readiness, licensing hurdles, and real-world deployment risks.
Why it matters: SMRs could reshape the industryâor become its latest overpromised solution. Knowing the difference is critical.
đ [Read SMRs: Hype vs. Hard Edges]
4. Safety Culture: Chronic Unease in Practice
The best-run nuclear organizations cultivate âchronic uneaseââa constant vigilance against complacency. This post explains what safety culture really means, how it can erode, and why small signals often precede major failures.
Why it matters: Most nuclear failures are not technicalâthey are cultural. Recognizing weak signals early can prevent disasters.
đ [Read Safety Culture 101]
5. Nuclear Finance, Plain-English
Beyond engineering, nuclear projects live or die by financing. This post breaks down the economics: construction costs, PPAs, government guarantees, and why FOAK (first-of-a-kind) projects often stumble.
Why it matters: Without financial credibility, no amount of technical innovation will get reactors built.