NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

(NRC) an independent regulatory agency that is responsible for overseeing the civilian use of nuclear materials in the United States. The NRC was established on Oct. 11, 1974, by President Gerald Ford as one of two successor organizations to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), which became defunct on that same day. The NRC took over the AEC's responsibility for seeing that civilian nuclear materials and facilities are used safely and affect neither the public health nor the quality of the environment. The commission's activities focus on the numerous nuclear reactors in the United States that are used to generate electricity on a commercial basis. It licenses the construction of new nuclear reactors and regulates their operation on a continuing basis. It oversees the use, processing, handling, and disposal of nuclear materials and wastes, inspects nuclear-power plants and monitors both their safety procedures and their security measures, enforces compliance with established safety standards, and investigates nuclear accidents. The NRC's commissioners are appointed by the president of the United States.