User:MPhillips8980/sandbox

Background
The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 is a piece of legislation that sets forth the ground rules of atomic energy production and places new regulations to build off the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, through the establishment of the Atomic Energy Commission. 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 83rd 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 level, this means that if atomic energy becomes a part of the private or commercial 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 for placing nuclear reactors in New York city, causing the federal government to implement specific limitations for the location in which reactors may be established. 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 and implementing policies for the ways in which nuclear reactors may be used and where they may be developed, as well as, how these reactors must be maintained. There are currently 440 nuclear power plants spread across the world that generate over 367 gigawatts of electric energy, these nuclear power plants can account for 17% of the world's electricity production. Spreading world wide, American remains the leading nation in setting forth the rules and regulations for the utilization of the nuclear power plants.

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 far more difficult to dispose of than previous energy generation practices, causing some skepticism on the use of atomic energy and more of a push towards solar, wind, and hydro energy. The production of nuclear power does not emit carbon dioxide or air pollution "unlike fossil fuels" which accounts for 76% of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, however, the creation of "radioactive waste which can remain radioactive for thousands of years" which is now transported and disposed of by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Time line
The production of nuclear energy has evolved since the Atomic Energy Act of 1946. In the 1930s, scientist Enrico Fermi had successfully created the first nuclear fission process, which was a practice scientists continues to follow and contribute to by "[irradiating] uranium with neurons". Throughout the 1940s, the United States government established the Manhattan Project to develop the Atomic Bomb, which also allowed for the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 and Atomic Energy Commission to be established. In the 1950s, a facility in Idaho learned to transfer nuclear power into usable electrical energy, this act initiated the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 allowing for the commercial use of nuclear energy. A total of 41 nuclear power reactors are established in the 1970s, along with a "1,000 megawatt nuclear plant" was put into commission in Illinois", President Carter created the United States Department of Energy, and Pennsylvania's nuclear power plant suffers a meltdown . In the 1980s, nuclear power surpassed oil, natural gas, and hydro-electric power plants becoming the nations second largest contributor to Americas' power source and the nation had developed one hundred nuclear power plants . Between the 1990s and the 2000s, the nuclear energy production program had grown to 109 nuclear power plants in America, which then lead to the National Energy Plan and the Energy Policy Act.