The American experience with respect to electrical power production has
undergone and is undergoing considerable evolution. Early, frequently
strident debates tended to focus on the risks and benefits of only one
pos- sible power source (nuclear), and on one possible hazard (radiation
from routine releases). Discussions and analyses now have tended to
become more moderate, and deal with not only one but all feasible power
sources, as well as the costs and benefits associated with fuel
production, the operation of such sources, fuel transportation and waste
disposal. Radiation from routine releases is no longer a major issue. A
number of attempts have been made to assess the total benefits and risks
of nuclear versus fossil fuel plants, in order to allow a rational basis
for deciding on what type of source is best for a given situation. More
data and more refined analyses are needed; how- ever, most of those
completed to date have concluded that the overall cost in terms of
possible damage to health and the environment is least for nuclear
power, next for oil and the greatest for coal-fired plants.