Science, Politics, And Controversy : Civilian Nuclear Power In The United States, 1946-1974

This book traces the evolution of civilian nuclear power in the United States between 1946 and 1974, describing and analyzing the commercialization of nuclear energy and surveying pivotal events in the dissension that has recently accompanied its large-scale application. Professor Del Sesto views these events in terms of three themes: federal regulation of advanced technology, the gradual entrance of more diverse interest groups into the political arena, and the problems created by the conflicting claims of experts. He concludes that the lessons of the nuclear debate are most important for their implications for the expanding use of scientific and theoretical knowledge in democratic social orders. More broadly, he writes of the confrontation between knowledge and power that lies at the heart of the growing number of technological controversies that mark late twentieth century industrialized societies throughout the world. As of June 1977, the United States had some 232 nuclear power plants either planned or in operation, with a generating capacity estimated at about 321 million kilowatts. To date, the industrial world has spent over $200 billion in order to produce useful energy from nuclear fission. By all odds, civilian nuclear power is one of the largest technological ventures in history. To many, this massive effort is completely justified: No other single technology offers as much promise for satisfying world energy needs in the years ahead—particularly as fossil fuels dwindle and climb drastically in price. Yet to others, there is no single technology which raises such serious questions of risk to public health and safety.