The Atomic Energy Act of 1954, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2011-2021, 2022-2286i, 2296a-2297h-13, is a

United States federal law The law of the United States comprises many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the nation's Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the federal government of the United States, as well as ...

that covers for the development, regulation, and disposal of nuclear materials and facilities in the United States. It was an amendment to the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 and substantially refined certain aspects of the law, including increased support for the possibility of a civilian nuclear industry. Notably it made it possible for the government to allow private companies to gain technical information (

Restricted Data Restricted Data (RD) is a category of proscribed information, per National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM). Specifically, it is defined by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 as: :''all data concerning (1) design, manufacture, or u ...

) about nuclear energy production and the production of fissile materials, allowing for greater exchange of information with foreign nations as part of President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

Atoms for Peace "Atoms for Peace" was the title of a speech delivered by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the UN General Assembly in New York City on December 8, 1953. The United States then launched an "Atoms for Peace" program that supplied equipment ...

program, and reversed certain provisions in the 1946 law which had made it impossible to patent processes for generating nuclear energy or fissile materials. The H.R. 9757 legislation was passed by the 83rd U.S. Congressional session and signed into law by President Dwight Eisenhower on August 30, 1954. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission described the Atomic Energy Act as, "the fundamental U.S. law on both the

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not " combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant ...

and the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

uses of

nuclear material Nuclear material refers to the metals uranium, plutonium, and thorium, in any form, according to the IAEA. This is differentiated further into "source material", consisting of natural and depleted uranium, and "special fissionable material", co ...

s."

Notes and references

{{Reflist

External links

NRC.gov: The Atomic Energy Act of 1954
– ''PDF file''. *
"FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1952–1954, NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS, VOLUME II, PART 2"
Office of the Historian. U.S. Department of State (

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

). 1954 in American law Arms control Military disbanding and disarmament Nuclear history of the United States Nuclear weapons infrastructure of the United States United States Atomic Energy Commission United States federal criminal legislation United States federal energy legislation 83rd United States Congress 1954 in the environment

See also

Notes and references

External links