This text was written to accompany a course concerning the need, environmental costs, and benefits of electrical power generation. It was compiled and written by a committee drawn from educators, health physicists, members of industry and conservation groups, and environmental scientists. Topics include: the increasing need for electrical power, and current and proposed methods for meeting this need; nuclear power and fossil-fueled plants, their wastes, and health effects; considerations for choosing the site for a new power plant; energy conservation; and environmental effects of power generation. The appendices include a glossary of terms, a bibliography for further study, a decision-making model to help the reader analyze the information received, and a brief outline of the procedure that must be followed by a utility in order to construct and operate a nuclear power plant. (MH)