---
category: U.S. Government
location: Rockville, Maryland
start: 1975
summary: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is a U.S. government agency established
  in 1975, formed when the Atomic Energy Commission was dissolved.
tags:
- Organization
- Government
- USA
---

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is a U.S. government agency established in 1975, formed when the [AEC](/organizations/atomic-energy-commission/) was dissolved. It is responsible for regulating the nation's civilian use of nuclear materials and ensuring the public health and safety, common defense and security, and environmental protection. James H. Conran, an analyst in the NRC, was assigned to write a history of nuclear safeguards and sought access to the [NUMEC](/organizations/nuclear-materials-and-equipment-corporation/) file, which was initially denied on security grounds.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 18.