Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (NUREG/BR-0466) On this
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Nuclear Regulatory Research U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001 The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 provided
the framework for the widespread use of nuclear energy for
peaceful purposes. The 1954 Act created the U.S. Atomic Energy
Commission to both regulate nuclear power and to encourage the
use of nuclear energy. In 1974, the Energy Reorganization Act
split the two functions of the Atomic Energy Commission. The
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was created to regulate
the safe operation of commercial nuclear power and began
operation on January 19, 1975. Initially, the U.S. Energy
Research and Development Administration (ERDA) was created to
manage energy research and development, nuclear weapons, and
naval reactors programs. In 1977, E