The proliferation of these units poses conflicts both among the 

 various structures and with other uses of our coastal zone. During 

 fiscal year '74, in addition to its coastal zone research on the 

 environmental effects of offshore nuclear power plants, the AEC 

 sponsored a workshop to define research needs in the coastal zone 

 relative to offshore nuclear power plants. Both academic 

 oceanographic research organizations and Federal agencies with 

 coastal marine interests attended. An AEC report containing the 

 deliberations and research recommendations of the workshop is 

 currently in preparation. NOAA studied the probability, severity, 

 and consequences of external threats such as hurricanes, tsunamis, 

 storm surges, and wave actions, provided descriptions that 

 characterize regions by kind of ecological concern, and described 

 representative impacts in four specific east coast regions of various 

 phases of nuclear powerplant existence, such as construction, 

 operation, and decommissioning. Resonance effects due to external 

 conditions and radioactive effects of normal plant operations were 

 problems identified as requiring further study. 



The AEC currently has two research projects underway to 

 evaluate the environmental impact of nuclear powerplants on the 

 marine environment. Since 1968, comprehensive environmental 



Turkey Point nuclear plant on Biscayne Bay— 25 miles south of Miami. The two 

 units on the right are the nuclear-power generating units. The stacks are 

 associated with non-nuclear units fueled by low-sulfur oil and natural gas. 



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