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Background

The Atomic Energy act of 1954 is a piece of legislation that sets forth the ground rules of atomic energy production. This act is vital to shaping the way America produces energy throughout time, which will also translate into how the world produces energy. As described in the Atomic Energy act of 1954 as it was amended, this act was in place because it was found that atomic energy could be used in peaceful times while also being a useful tool to the military, it would be used to build upon the general welfare and security for the citizens of America . Furthermore, this act was to conduct “research” and create a “controlled” environment in which nuclear energy may be stored as defense mechanisms and create a level of restriction for the utilization of this energy, in which, the federal government was deemed in control of all things relating to the use of atomic energy . The reason this comes up in 1954 is due to the end of World War two, where America has won the war after dropping atomic bombs on Japan. The government was fearful of other nations creating the same technology, so rather than destroying the atomic energy left over, the government found ways to implement the energy in peaceful ways. Much of the discussion during the 83^rd session of congress was about implementing the private and federal industry to produce the necessary electrical energy reactors to generate enough power for the country .  

Health and Safety

During the discussions of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, Congress heavily considered the repercussions on citizens health, given the possibility of an atomic energy incident. The Atomic Energy Commissions records were thoroughly looked through and it was found that the practices to ensure safety amongst the citizens was strongly practiced by the commission . Congress found that the health and safety practices should held a federal job, this means that if atomic energy becomes a private industry, the federal government will still be present to account for necessary practices that will keep the citizens safe. The addition of location proximity and decision for the federal government to have a role in the health and safety aspect of the private industry stems from Edison Company, which proposed a nuclear reactor be built in New York city . While the company's plans were under review, the cities council concluded that there were not enough precautionary plans and declined the plans, causing the federal government to implement specific limitations for reactors .  As time has passed, foreign nations have also grown interested in the use of atomic energy. The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 continues to be referenced today, while making deals with foreign nations on how they may use their reactors. There are currently 440 nuclear power plants across the world that generate over 367 gigawatts of electric energy and accounts for 17% of the world's electricity . All of which the American government holds some form of power in the way the energy may be used, as well as, the regulations for reactors worldwide.  

Environmental

The utilization of nuclear power is extremely valuable to the environment and the nations producing the energy. This is due to more recent discoveries in which it has been learned that the utilization of nuclear power plants, not only supply energy on a larger scale but also lacks the properties that emit carbon and other harmful gases, meaning nuclear power does not generate greenhouse gases . Where this becomes controversial is in the discussion of waste, nuclear waste is much harder to get rid of, causing some skepticism on the use of atomic energy and more of a push towards solar, wind, and hydro energy .