Social Concerns—Nuclear Offshore River Basin Construction

The civil engineer must be prepared to demonstrate leadership in the areas of environmental and social concerns. The Committee on Social and Environmental Concerns has outlined its purpose to define and to establish acceptable standards of construction as they affect the environment, esthetics and society. The social and environmental impact of both the offshore nuclear power plant and the multipurpose high dam installation should be analyzed from the viewpoint of the construction process. Major power plant projects can have a serious impact on the ecology of an area. Both the offshore nuclear power plant and the Auburn Dam are faced with the problem of political credibility with the public and environmental groups. It is important that the engineer be concerned with the complex social, political, environmental, and economic forces in any major construction installation he undertakes.