The Japanese Government surrendered to the Allied Powers on August 10, 1945. The total cost of the program was over 1 billion dollars. (World Nuclear Association) The Manhattan Project was the first program to use nuclear fission. (Nuclear Energy) In 1946, The Atomic Energy Act of 1946 was passed which created the base for a program that dealt with future atomic decision for the next 30 years. In addition, this act formed two groups, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). The main priory of the AEC was the control of all atomic resources, facilities, and information from the Manhattan Project. The second group was the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, whose main goal was to oversee AEC operation. Overall, the purpose of the Atomic Energy Act was to explore and spread the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. In December 20, 1951, the first nuclear reactor produces electric power at the Experimental Breeder Reactor I in Arco Idaho. On December 8, 1953, President Eisenhower gives his speech, “Atoms for Peace” to the United Nations and promotes the progress for peaceful purposes of nuclear energy. On December 2, 1957, in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, the world’s first large-scale nuclear power plant launches into operation and supplies electricity to the Pittsburgh area. Furthermore, on May 22, …show more content…
In 1973, the United States canceled their order for reactors due to economic reasons. The costs of energy was rising and inflation which led to the demand for global electricity to decrease. The United States in 1978 started to transition from the energy market to the natural gas market. As the people started to vote against nuclear power, it was not until the 1990s that the energy market’s supply and demand began to lag in Western Countries. The introduction of nuclear power to the present time has developed many problems throughout its seventh years of being available to the world. Developing countries and rising powers are using nuclear powers as their source of energy to provide for their expanding economics. (Nuclear Energy) Fear has run through the hearts of many Americans with the idea of a terrorist attack on nuclear power plants. Ever since the attack on New York’s Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, the vulnerable of the nuclear facilities have scared many Americans citizens. If an attack on reactors and facilities were to happen, the results would be end up being much worse than Chernobyl. (History of Nuclear Power) Lastly, one of the biggest problems with nuclear energy is the disposal of its created waste. In 1982, Congress formed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, this was created to find two repositories for high-level waste and the Department of Energy (DOE) took action in