Kerr-McGee and the NRC: From Indian country to silkwood to Gore

By focusing upon the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's appraisal of the Kerr-McGee Corporation's safety record in the Four Corners area and at two facilities in Oklahoma, this article examines the political economy of nuclear regulation in American society. Particular attention is given to the agency's response to intervenor groups which protested various operations at Kerr-McGee facility in Gore, Oklahoma, both prior to and following the accidental rupture of a cylinder containing uranium hexafluoride. Despite a consistent record of violations and nuclear mishaps by Kerr-McGee, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission permitted the company to essentially monitor its own activities. Rather than protecting workers and the public from the hazards of the nuclear industry, state regulation attempts to legitimize and defuse public opposition to its endeavors.