Reversing NIMBY: an assessment of state strategies for siting hazardous-waste facilities

Past research indicates a dismal success rate in the siting of hazardous-waste management facilities. The observation that some facilities have been sited, however, suggests that the siting of these locally unwanted environmental facilities may not be an intractable problem. In this paper, based on a national survey of state siting attempts over the past decade, the strategies adopted by states and the factors and combination of factors associated with the few successful outcomes are examined. The data indicate that public trust (especially in the facility developer), early and continuous public involvement in the facility siting process, and an adaptive strategy that involves incorporating citizens' concerns into siting and operation decisions are associated with a higher likelihood of siting success.

AGENDA SETTING AND "NONDECISIONMAKING": DECOMMISSIONING NUCLEAR GENERATING STATIONS

The final point in the nuclear fuel cycle has always been the eventual retirement, decommissioning, of the 81 commercial nuclear power reactors presently in existence. This eventual retirement has been thought to be an issue of the future, because the large plants, built in the 1960s and 1970s. were assumed to have an expected operating life of 30 to 40 years. However, the reality is that several commercial reactors already have been decommissioned, and numerous others will soon reach maturity. This article examines decommissioning of nuclear power plants from a public policy-rather than a technical-perspective. A number of questions are addressed concerning the policy implications associated with decommissioning. The findings of the study are based on survey data from the utilities, an examination of NRC documents, interviews with NRC staff scientists, and site visits to several decommissioned plants. Copyright 1986 by The Policy Studies Organization.

Southern Nevada residents` views about the Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository and related issues: A comparative analysis of urban and rural survey data

two separate surveys were undertaken in 1988 to ascertain southern Nevadans` views about the Yucca Mountain repository and related issues. The first of these studies focused on the attitudes and perceptions of residents in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The second study addressed similar issues, but focused on the views of residents in six rural communities in three counties adjacent to the Yucca Mountain site. However, parallel findings from the two data sets have not been jointly analyzed in order to identify ways in which the views and orientations of residents in the rural and urban study areas may be similar or different. The purpose of this report is to develop and present a comparative assessment of selected issues addressed in the rural and urban surveys. Because both urban and rural populations would potentially be impacted by the Yucca Mountain repository, such an analysis will provide important insights into possible repository impacts on the well-being of residents throughout southern Nevada

The Development of Hazardous Waste Management as a State Policy Concern

Hazardous waste management has become a primary concern of state governments. Thk concern is relatively recent, with state governments assuming a leading role in hazardous waste policy development and implementation only in the past decade. This article outlines the scope of the hazardous waste problem to which stdegouernments must respond. The scope of the problem is then linked to changing public perceptions and intergooernmental relntionslzips to explain the expanding state government policy role in hazardous waste management. Copyright 1992 by The Policy Studies Organization.