Review of Kenneth F. McCallion, Shoreham and the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear Power Industry (Praeger 1995). About the author, acknowledgements, foreword by Irving Like, index, preface, prologue, selected bibliography. LC 94- 32930; ISBN 0-275-94299-6 [221 pp. Cloth $55.00. 88 Post Road West, Westport CT 06881.

Graves, Jennifer M.

English

UNH Scholars' Repository

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)Volume 8 | Number 1 Article 13January 1997Book Review of Kenneth F. McCallion, Shorehamand the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear Power IndustryJennifer M. GravesFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/riskPart of the Social and Behavioral Sciences CommonsThis Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the University of New Hampshire – School of Law at University of New HampshireScholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002) by an authorized editor of University ofNew Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact ellen.phillips@law.unh.edu.Repository CitationJennifer M. Graves, Review of Kenneth F. McCallion, Shoreham and the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear Power Industry, 8 RISK 99 (1997).Book Review of Kenneth F. McCallion, Shoreham and the Rise and Fall ofthe Nuclear Power IndustryErratumThe citation for this review is 8 RISK 91 (1997) in most commercial databases.This book review is available in RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002): https://scholars.unh.edu/risk/vol8/iss1/13BookReviews 99Kenneth F. McCallion, Shoreham and the Rise and Fall of the NuclearPower Industry (Praeger 1995). About the author, acknowledgements,foreword by Irving Like, index, preface, prologue, selected bibliography. LC 94-32930; ISBN 0-275-94299-6 [221 pp. Cloth $55.00. 88 Post Road West, WestportCT 06881.]McCallion's Prologue starts the reading off with the taste of a legalthriller that includes organized crime, fraud and deceit. Yet, the book isnot simply light entertainment.It begins with a look at what McCallion calls the "Nuclear Club".The club was to become a living embodiment of the peacetimepromises for nuclear power by everyone from the government toOppenheimer, that it would produce inexpensive, pollution-freeelectricity and free us from the instabilities of the Middle East. Thispart of the first chapter is one of the few areas in the book where theauthor deals with the nuclear power industry as a whole.Thus, the book is more aptly a chronicle of the rise and fall of theShoreham nuclear power facility on Long Island. including theresidents' fight for justice from electricity rate hikes and their fear forsafety than a history of the industry itself. The author, Kenneth F.McCallion, presents the events first hand. In his role as SuffolkCounty's lead trial counsel in the County's case against the Long IslandLighting Company over the Shoreham project, he carried theresponsibility of ascertaining the facts and prosecuting the case. 18:30 A.M., October 3, 1988, New York, New York -within the next few hours, I w6uld stand before a jury in afederal courtroom in Brooklyn and deliver an openingstatement In a lawsuit that had been three years in themaking, a case that would break new legal ground andcould result in a damage award measuring in the billions ofdollars... there was no denying that this was far and awaythe biggest case of my career.Long Island Lighting Company's decision to make Shoreham a"go" is the true beginning for the bulk of the book. McCallion gives adetailed history of building the facility, its financing, safety studies andcover-ups. He proceeds to recount details of a Suffolk Countyinvestigation of the Shoreham project, the trial and the appeal. The1 At xvii.8 Risk- Health, Safety & Environment 91 [Winter 1997]book is written with an overtone of negativity towards the nuclearpower industry as a whole. The thrust of the case was on the economicrecovery for citizens of Suffolk County but, in addition to recovery, italso raised serious questions and concerns encompassing the safety ofnuclear power facilities as well. This tone is set early when McCallionmakes the statement that "nuclear power plants in this country havebecome 'unsafe at any price'."2At the end, the book spends but one more chapter on the nuclearpower industry as a whole, in both the U.S. and abroad. The finalchapter quickly reviews existing nuclear facilities in the U.S., their costs,efficiency and shut down histories and schedules. McCallion also looksbriefly at the undeniable success of the French nuclear power industryand the efforts of U.S. industry to move towards a standardized reactorand facility design.Shoreham and the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear Power Industry isquite readable with specific, point illustrating stories, along the way.Yet, it mostly concerns the Shoreham facility on Long Island. Thoseinterested in the nuclear industry as a whole will have to look eslewhere.Jennifer M. Gravest2 At xiii.t Ms. Graves is a candidate for the J.D. at Franklin Pierce Law Center. She receivedher B.S. (Aeronautical Engineering) from Purdue University.

Book Review of Kenneth F. McCallion, Shoreham and the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear Power Industry

University of New Hampshire

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)
Volume 8 | Number 1 Article 13
January 1997
Book Review of Kenneth F. McCallion, Shoreham
and the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear Power Industry
Jennifer M. Graves
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/risk
Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons
This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the University of New Hampshire – School of Law at University of New Hampshire
Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002) by an authorized editor of University of
New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact ellen.phillips@law.unh.edu.
Repository Citation
Jennifer M. Graves, Review of Kenneth F. McCallion, Shoreham and the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear Power Industry, 8 RISK 99 (1997).
Book Review of Kenneth F. McCallion, Shoreham and the Rise and Fall of
the Nuclear Power Industry
Erratum
The citation for this review is 8 RISK 91 (1997) in most commercial databases.
This book review is available in RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002): https://scholars.unh.edu/risk/vol8/iss1/13
BookReviews 99
Kenneth F. McCallion, Shoreham and the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear
Power Industry (Praeger 1995). About the author, acknowledgements,
foreword by Irving Like, index, preface, prologue, selected bibliography. LC 94-
32930; ISBN 0-275-94299-6 [221 pp. Cloth $55.00. 88 Post Road West, Westport
CT 06881.]
McCallion's Prologue starts the reading off with the taste of a legal
thriller that includes organized crime, fraud and deceit. Yet, the book is
not simply light entertainment.
It begins with a look at what McCallion calls the "Nuclear Club".
The club was to become a living embodiment of the peacetime
promises for nuclear power by everyone from the government to
Oppenheimer, that it would produce inexpensive, pollution-free
electricity and free us from the instabilities of the Middle East. This
part of the first chapter is one of the few areas in the book where the
author deals with the nuclear power industry as a whole.
Thus, the book is more aptly a chronicle of the rise and fall of the
Shoreham nuclear power facility on Long Island. including the
residents' fight for justice from electricity rate hikes and their fear for
safety than a history of the industry itself. The author, Kenneth F.
McCallion, presents the events first hand. In his role as Suffolk
County's lead trial counsel in the County's case against the Long Island
Lighting Company over the Shoreham project, he carried the
responsibility of ascertaining the facts and prosecuting the case.
1
8:30 A.M., October 3, 1988, New York, New York -
within the next few hours, I w6uld stand before a jury in a
federal courtroom in Brooklyn and deliver an opening
statement In a lawsuit that had been three years in the
making, a case that would break new legal ground and
could result in a damage award measuring in the billions of
dollars... there was no denying that this was far and away
the biggest case of my career.
Long Island Lighting Company's decision to make Shoreham a
"go" is the true beginning for the bulk of the book. McCallion gives a
detailed history of building the facility, its financing, safety studies and
cover-ups. He proceeds to recount details of a Suffolk County
investigation of the Shoreham project, the trial and the appeal. The
1 At xvii.
8 Risk- Health, Safety & Environment 91 [Winter 1997]
book is written with an overtone of negativity towards the nuclear
power industry as a whole. The thrust of the case was on the economic
recovery for citizens of Suffolk County but, in addition to recovery, it
also raised serious questions and concerns encompassing the safety of
nuclear power facilities as well. This tone is set early when McCallion
makes the statement that "nuclear power plants in this country have
become 'unsafe at any price'."
2
At the end, the book spends but one more chapter on the nuclear
power industry as a whole, in both the U.S. and abroad. The final
chapter quickly reviews existing nuclear facilities in the U.S., their costs,
efficiency and shut down histories and schedules. McCallion also looks
briefly at the undeniable success of the French nuclear power industry
and the efforts of U.S. industry to move towards a standardized reactor
and facility design.
Shoreham and the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear Power Industry is
quite readable with specific, point illustrating stories, along the way.
Yet, it mostly concerns the Shoreham facility on Long Island. Those
interested in the nuclear industry as a whole will have to look eslewhere.
Jennifer M. Gravest
2 At xiii.
t Ms. Graves is a candidate for the J.D. at Franklin Pierce Law Center. She received
her B.S. (Aeronautical Engineering) from Purdue University.


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Book Review of Kenneth F. McCallion, Shoreham and the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear Power Industry

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