National policy regarding the development and use of nuclear energy is guided by four key pieces of legislation.

The Atomic Energy Act of 1954

This Act is the fundamental U.S. law on both the civilian and the military uses of nuclear materials. On the civilian side, it provides for both the development and the regulation of the uses of nuclear materials and facilities in the United States, declaring the policy that "the development, use, and control of atomic energy shall be directed so as to promote world peace, improve the general welfare, increase the standard of living, and strengthen free competition in private enterprise." The Act requires that civilian uses of nuclear materials and facilities be licensed. For more detailed information, visit http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr0980/ml022200075-vol1.pdf

Energy Reorganization Act of 1974

Under the Atomic Energy Act, a single agency, the Atomic Energy Commission, had responsibility for the development and the safety regulation of the civilian uses of nuclear materials. The 1974 Act split these functions into The Energy Research and Development Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and Energy Resources Council. For more detailed information, visit http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr0980/rev1/vol-1-sec2-to5.pdf

The Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977

This Act brought the Federal Energy Administration, the Energy Research and Development Administration, and the Federal Power Commission into a single agency. On October 1, 1977, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) assumed the responsibilities of the aforementioned agencies, and parts and programs of several other agencies, under one organization governing the responsibility for the development and production of nuclear weapons, promotion of nuclear power, and other energy-related work. For more detailed information, visit http://uscode.house.gov/dowhload/pls/42C84.txt

The Energy Policy Act of 2005

The Act encourages the deployment of nuclear power through loan guarantees and protection tax credits for advanced nuclear power facilities. It offers a new form of federal risk insurance for the first six builders of new nuclear power plants. These incentives, coupled with the authorization of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant and R&D appropriations, move America closer to a vital national goal of energy independence with the aid of new nuclear power. For more detailed information, visit http://www.ne.doe.gov/energypolicyact2005/neEPACT2a.html