Reversing Nuclear Opposition: Evolving Public Acceptance of a Permanent Nuclear Waste Disposal Facility

Abstract

Nuclear facilities have long been seen as the top of the list of locally unwanted land uses (LULUs), with nuclear waste repositories generating the greatest opposition. Focusing on the case of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southern New Mexico, we test competing hypotheses concerning the sources of opposition and support for siting the facility, including demographics, proximity, political ideology, and partisanship, and the unfolding policy process over time. This study tracks the changes of risk perception and acceptance of WIPP over a decade, using measures taken from 35 statewide surveys of New Mexico citizens spanning an 11-year period from fall 1990 to summer 2001. This time span includes periods before and after WIPP became operational. We find that acceptance of WIPP is greater among those whose residences are closest to the WIPP facility. Surprisingly, and contrary to expectations drawn from the broader literature, acceptance is also greater among those who live closest to the nuclear waste transportation route. We also find that ideology, partisanship, government approval, and broader environmental concerns influence support for WIPP acceptance. Finally, the sequence of procedural steps taken toward formal approval of WIPP by government agencies proved to be important to gaining public acceptance, the most significant being the opening of the WIPP facility itself.

Social Surveys about Solid Waste Management within Higher Education Institutes: A Comparison

“…it is easy to expect that the answer given by the students is the second ('material to recycle') as the recycling rate is quite high in both cities; again, for the question "Who among these actors has to be part of the siting process of a landfill or an incinerator?" we expect answer 3 ('technicians, politicians, and citizens') as symptom of social inclusion, according to other studies, where the concept of public integration in the decision-making process for the introduction of exploitation facilities within an urban area has been introduced [70]. This concept cannot be confirmed for the La Paz case study, and generally for developing countries worldwide, where the recycling rates are low, SWM practices are recent, and public participation is still missing.…”

End of FY10 report - used fuel disposition technical bases and lessons learned : legal and regulatory framework for high-level waste disposition in the United States.

“…These data measured New Mexicans' views on WIPP, including support for opening the facility, using statewide random telephone surveys conducted in the spring and fall of each year over the 1990 to 2010 period. Jenkins-Smith, Silva, Nowlin and deLozier et al 2010 Analyses of these data show that support for opening the facility increases significantly, on average, the closer the respondent's residence (as mapped by residential zip codes) is to the WIPP facility. Fig.…”

Sustainability as a Priority at Major U.S. Department of Energy’s Defense Sites: Surrounding Population Views

“…Opened in 1999, the 16 square mile WIPP site is not only a key asset, but is the rare exception, where a facility that most would consider as a locally unwanted land use (LULU) was successfully sited, at least partly, because the DOE worked with local officials to reach an agreement [47].…”