Public opinion factors regarding nuclear power

Technical Report · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10152258· OSTI ID:10152258

Benson, B

This paper is an effort to identify, as comprehensively as possible, public concerns about nuclear power, and to assess, where possible, the relative importance of these concerns as they relate to government regulation of and policy towards nuclear power. It is based on some two dozen in-depth interviews with key communicators representing the nuclear power industry, the environmental community, and government, as well as on the parallel efforts in our research project: (1) review of federal court case law, (2) a selective examination of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) administrative process, and (3) the preceding George Mason University research project in this series. The paper synthesizes our findings about public attitudes towards nuclear power as expressed through federal court case law, NRC administrative law, public opinion surveys, and direct personal interviews. In so doing, we describe the public opinion environment in which the nuclear regulatory process must operate. Our premise is that public opinion ultimately underlies the approaches government agencies take towards regulating nuclear power, and that, to the degree that the nuclear power industry`s practices are aligned with public opinion, a more favorable regulatory climate is possible.

• Research Organization: George Mason Univ., Fairfax, VA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: FC02-90ER12951
• OSTI ID: 10152258
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/12951--4; ON: DE92015076
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210700
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220900
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290600
ENERGY DEMAND
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
LEGAL ASPECTS
NUCLEAR ENERGY
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PUBLIC OPINION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
REACTOR LICENSING
REACTOR SAFETY
REGULATION AND LICENSING