ABSTRACT
Success in satisfying the requirements and aspirations of the American citizen depends greatly on the wise employment of advancing science and technology. This chapter discusses the nation's present pattern of regulating technology-based activities, and argues that it is overly beset with shortcomings. It considers the shortcomings of present regulatory policy, and shows the inherent difficulty of technological regulation. Regulation frequently involves voluminous, costly documentation on minor issues and long negotiations, the required industrial bureaucracy matching the government's. The trade-off between improving the environment and increasing the energy supply is typical. The economy's being slowed by too low an energy supply is bad; allowing more pollution and accidents is also bad. The chapter also considers a regulatory organization that may be superior to present approaches as to timeliness of action, the reaping of benefits from technological advance, protection against hazards, and the minimizing of court actions on items best handled through legislation.
