9/11 Commission Recommendations: Joint Committee on Atomic Energy - A Model for Congressional Oversight? Page: 5 of 38
35 pages.View a full description of this report.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
CRS-2
While the 9/11 Commission report does not give additional specifics supporting
this recommendation, one can imagine the reasons why it was advanced. During its
30-year life, the JCAE was universally regarded as one of the most effective
committees in congressional history. On behalf of the two chambers of Congress that
it served, the JCAE exercised strong oversight, coordinated and shaped policy in its
field, and played an enormous role in the development of atomic power and the
nuclear arsenal of the United States. Among other accomplishments, one observer
noted, the JCAE has been credited with:
the decision to develop the thermonuclear bomb... saving the Nautilus submarine
project from the hostility of the Navy brass ... [and] almost all of the
developments in the domestic atomic power program.6
In short, what may have attracted the 9/11 Commission to the JCAE model is
the fact that the JCAE was established with extraordinary powers, to deal with what
was perceived as an extraordinary challenge facing the nation. The commission may
view this situation as analogous to that of counter terrorism today.
Following the explosion of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, Japan, in August
1945, congressional interest was extremely high regarding the international security
challenges posed by atomic power, as well as its potential for providing a valuable
source of energy for civilian purposes. The issues posed by the advent of the nuclear
age precipitated a power struggle between the legislative and executive branches, as
well as between civilian and commercial interests and the military over the
appropriate allocation of power and responsibility for overseeing nuclear power. The
ultimate outcome of that struggle was the creation of a five-member civilian Atomic
Energy Commission (AEC) located in the executive branch and empowered to
oversee all aspects of atomic energy, and an 18-member congressional Joint
Committee on Atomic Energy located in the legislative branch that was empowered
with jurisdiction over the agency and the subject of nuclear power generally.
The JCAE has been described by those who have studied it as one of the most
powerful, if not the "most powerful congressional committee in the history of the
nation."7 While the JCAE was certainly a committee of Congress, in many ways it
did not resemble a congressional committee, or at least few other congressional
committees before or since, serving as almost a unicameral legislature within the
bicameral Congress.The Joint Committee on Atomic Energy was powerful in part because it enjoyed
exclusive jurisdiction and had a unique structure. Congress gave the JCAE exclusive
jurisdiction over "all bills, resolutions, and other matters"8 relating to civilian and
6 H.L. Nieburg, "The Eisenhower AEC and Congress: A Study in Executive-Legislative
Relations," Midwest Journal of Political Science, vol. 6, no. 2 (May 1962), p 114.
7 Harold P. Green and Allen Rosenthal, The Joint Committee on Atomic Energy: A Study in
the Fusion of Government Power (Washington: The National Law Center, George
Washington University, 1961), p. 288. (Hereafter cited as "Green and Rosenthal").8 42 USC 2251.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Davis, Christopher M. 9/11 Commission Recommendations: Joint Committee on Atomic Energy - A Model for Congressional Oversight?, report, August 20, 2004; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs5766/m1/5/: accessed June 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.