Atomic Energy Commission

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Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), civilian agency of the United States government established by the Atomic Energy Act of
1946 to administer and regulate the production and use of atomic power. The AEC succeeded the so-called Manhattan Project,
which developed the atomic bomb during World War II. Among the major programs of the new commission were production of
fissionable materials; accident prevention; research in biology, health, and metallurgy and production of electric power
from the atom; studies in the production of nuclear aircraft; and the declassification of data on atomic energy.
The most important goal of the 1946 act, however, was to put the immense power and possibilities of atomic energy under
civilian control, although nuclear materials and facilities remained in government hands. A revised Atomic Energy Act in
1954 allowed for licensed private ownership of facilities to produce fissionable materials. In 1964 an amendment permitted
private ownership of nuclear fuels, which aided the growing nuclear power industry.
Under the Energy Reorganization Act of October 1974, the AEC was abolished, and two new federal agencies were established
to administer and regulate atomic-energy activities: the Energy Research and Development Administration and the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission. In 1977, the responsibilities of the former were transferred to the newly established Department of
Energy. See ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF.
See also ATOM AND ATOMIC THEORY; NUCLEAR ENERGY; NUCLEAR WEAPONS