Our very first production civilian reactors went from no design and bare land to production in about 4.5 years. Modern engineering, siting, and construction is

Our very first production civilian reactors went from no design and bare land to production in about 4.5 years. Modern engineering, siting, and construction is tied up with regulatory approval processes, safety protocols, diversity and inclusion quotas, and NIMBYism that occupy the vast majority of timelines. A prior civilization would have looked at a literal existential threat and been willing to risk a few desert turtles, a few extra construction workers' lives, and ignored some Karens to get the job done. But we don't have that kind of civilization anymore. Regulation and safety protocols are great for societies not sitting at the edge of the Seneca Cliff, but they're pretty terrible when the ELE meteorite is en route.