Nuclear power, the unviable option: a critical look at our energy alternatives

Book · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1976

OSTI ID:7295563

Berger, J J

The book describes why the U.S. is not proceeding full steam ahead with nuclear power. It describes accidents that have already occurred at U.S. reactors--Browns Ferry, Fermi, SL-1--and it describes the kind of catastrophic accident we have so far been spared. It outlines the continuing spillage and leakage of radioactive wastes and the government's inability to implement a final waste management program. It explains why nuclear reactors are not covered by full liability insurance--and it shows how the nuclear power industry came into being only because the government agreed to suspend normal liability requirements for reactors. The book lays out the possibility of irreversible radioactive contamination, and it explains how nuclear pollution could threaten the genetic integrity of life on earth. It shows why our civil liberties would probably be curtailed to keep plutonium out of the hands of terrorists. And it tells why the proliferation of peaceful nuclear reactors will lead to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. But the government's energy agencies still push, to the tune of a billion dollars a year, for nuclear power--Why. The unavoidable conclusion Senator Mike Gavel says in the Foreward, is that civilian nuclear power grew with the atomic bomb. The Atomic Energy Commission was anxious to assure a broad technological and manpower base for its weapons program. In addition, feelings of guilt over having used atomic weapons impelled many in government to seek a peaceful use for fission power.

• OSTI ID: 7295563
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220500 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Environmental Aspects
220900 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290600* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Nuclear Energy
ACCIDENTS
AVAILABILITY
COST
DOCUMENT TYPES
FUELS
INFORMATION
INSURANCE
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR INSURANCE
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
POWER PLANTS
PROLIFERATION
PUBLIC OPINION
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTORS
REVIEWS
SAFETY
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
WEAPONS