Ninth Circuit upholds nuclear power moratorium provision

The Court's decision that California's moratorium on construction of new nuclear power plants is consistent with the Atomic Energy Act and outside the jurisdiction of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The ruling confirms that states have the power to use economic considerations as a way to regulate nuclear power development until there is an adequate federal plan for waste disposal. The Pacific Legal Foundation's winning case defines the legal strategy available to those opposed to nuclear power. Inflation and high interest rates could keep economic arguments viable even after the waste problem is solved. 55 references