Nats 1510 Lecture 7 The Rise and Fall of a Science Based Technology

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• Nuclear Expansion
• The Disestablishment of Nuclear Power as An Official Technology

NATS 1510 - Lecture 7 - The Rise and Fall of a Science Based Technology Automobile - mass-manufactured, factory based technology, economic success Nuclear power - large-scale, complex, science based technology, economic failure Nuclear power and the nuclear bomb Wartime justification for bomb, post-war regrets, spread of technology “Cold war”, standoff between US and Russia, escalation of bomb construction Nuclear power countering harm of bomb Risk, safety issues, public perception, meltdowns, leaks, accidents, nuclear waste Economic challenges to nuclear power Nuclear Expansion Ideology, state support, “official technology” status Ideological factors, cold war beliefs, public trust in business and government, consumerism, faith in science, optimism towards risk Cold war and national security, 1950’s anti-American criticism Confidence in government and business, large scale projects accepted Complex safety systems, larger scale facilities, economies of scale Greater than 500% real cost price increase in expected nuclear construction costs from 1963 to 1983 Government support, minimized public resistance, subsidies, legislation, risk evaluations, military and economic problems The Disestablishment of Nuclear Power as An Official Technology 1967 estimate of 1000 nuclear plants by 2000, from 1967-1974 utilities ordered 196 new plants, over 2/3 of plants ordered after 1970 cancelled Nuclear power declined from 1960’s, failed to capture the international energy market, cost overruns, loss of “official technology” status Influence of the anti-nuclear movement Factors supporting anti-nuclear movement: Professional managerial class (PMC) initiatives openness of US political system to citizen initiatives growth of environmental movement left social critics gained influence, military-corporate planners lost credibility after Vietnam and Watergate Free market ideology worked against nuclear OPEC embargo, financing difficulties in the utilities nuclear power seen as dangerous weapons proliferation and foreign nuclear competition availability of other energy options Pro and anti nuclear movement ideologies: Pro-nuclear ideology: faith in science, pessimism about economics of non-nuclear options, cold war sentiments, trust in government and business, consumerist values, laissez faire economics Anti-nuclear ideology: anti-corporate and anti-centralization, concern about social limits to growth, selective faith in technologies, conservative attitude towards ecological issues, greater concern for social aspects of economic decisions The professional managerial class: nuclear scientists, engineers, administrators, economists, journalists, lawyers, etc. PMC and complex technologies Access to information, public participation, 1960’s and 1970’s, greater influence by PMC’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) over 20,000 local environmental organizations, legal intervention in licencing Environmentalist framework for criticizing nuclear industry Post-Vietnam legislation facilitated public access to information, legal action, public representation Freedom of Information Act, Federal Advisory Commission Act (1972), Government in the Sunshine Act (1976), the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (1978) and the NEPA Electricity demand sensitive to rising prices, dropped after decades of 7% increase OPEC oil embargo, US energy dependency, nuclear plant costs, long lead times Legislative changes, supported by environmental and anti-nuclear movements: Reorganization of AEC, safety and nuclear hazard research and evaluation 1974, splitting AEC’s regulatory and promotional functions Shift of authority from AEC to EPA, input from nuclear sceptics Increased public access to AEC materials Including conservation and non-nuclear options Network of contacts to disseminate information, send to press Protest related regulatory costs responsible for half 3 billion dollar increase in reactor construction costs after 1984 Loss of “official technology” status: higher risk premiums in capital markets, reduced government subsidies and increased support for non-nuclear technologies Directory: slater slater -> AK/sts 3700 00 a history of Technology slater -> Nats 1840 m – Science, Technology and the Environment Summary slater -> Annotated Bibliography and Thesis Statement slater -> Lecture 1 – Ancient Civilizations and Technological Determinism Ancient Technological Development slater -> Sts 3700 Lecture 6 Retooling Production: Labour, the Factory and Mass Production slater -> Contemporary descriptions of anne boleyn slater -> Nats 1840 – Lecture 13 Nuclear Power slater -> Nats 1760 – Lecture 16 – The Automobile slater -> Nats 1840 – Course Review Studying slater -> Nats 1760 – Lecture 8 The Scientific Revolution Part 1 Download 13.56 Kb. Share with your friends: