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- Title
THE REVIVAL OF NUCLEAR POWER: AN ANALYSIS OF THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS.
- Authors
Cameron, Peter D.
- Abstract
The marked revival of interest in nuclear power as part of the United Kingdom policy for meeting climate change and security of energy supplies requires the existing legal framework for the planning and operation of nuclear power stations as well as waste disposal to be addressed. Any new UK policy on nuclear energy has an implicit programme of legal reform. In considering any potential reforms, it is important to understand how the existing body of national, European and international law has developed. Three fairly distinct phases can be identified. The first period, starting in late 1940's saw law primarily being used as an instrument for the promotion of peaceful uses of nuclear power. The second phrase, starting from around the time of the Chernobyl accident in 1986, saw a significant growth in international and national laws designed to constrain the operation of nuclear power in the interests of safety, health and the environment. The current interest in nuclear power can be argued to initiate a third phase involving a cautious rebalancing of these elements. Three key issues are identified which will need to be addressed -- the management of nuclear waste, siting of new power stations, and the question of devolution in the United Kingdom which provides a new and very different constitutional landscape facing a pro-nuclear policy. An underlying contemporary theme in contemporary environmental and planning law concerns public consultation and participation, and developments in recent years are best viewed be seen as an asset rather than a hindrance to decision-making on key social issues. As such the current interest in nuclear power does not yet represent a new era for nuclear power as much as a revival of the debate on the role of nuclear power in our economy and society.
- Subjects
NUCLEAR energy; NUCLEAR power plants &; the environment; NUCLEAR power plant laws; ENVIRONMENTAL law; ENERGY facility location laws; CHERNOBYL Nuclear Accident, Chornobyl, Ukraine, 1986
- Publication
Journal of Environmental Law, 2007, Vol 19, Issue 1, p71
- ISSN
0952-8873
- Publication type
Article