Major Sociocultural Impacts of the Yucca Mountain High-Level Nuclear Waste Repository on Nearby Rural Communities

Technical Report · Sat Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/138059· OSTI ID:138059

Little, Ronald L. ^[1]; Krannich, Richard S. ^[1]

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1. Rocky Mountain Social Science, Fort Collins, CO (United States)

This report provides a summary of selected, potentially significant social and cultural impacts which have occurred, or which can be expected to occur, in four rural southern Nevada communities as a result of federal efforts to site a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The focus here is upon the extant and potential future sociocultural impacts in Amargosa Valley, Beatty, Pahrump and Indian Springs, the four Nevada communities nearest to Yucca Mountain. Due in part to their proximity to the repository site, these communities are potentially vulnerable to a wide variety of "standard" socioeconomic and sociocultural effects associated with the construction and operation of an extremely large and complex facility such as the proposed repository. In addition, their proximity to both the repository and to probable nuclear waste transportation corridors may increase the potential for certain "special" effects related to both real and perceived risks of handling and storing high-level radioactive waste materials. Data collected thus far suggests that the repository program has had only limited impacts on social and cultural conditions in the four study communities.

• Research Organization: Nevada Nuclear Waste Project Office, Carson City, NV (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: FG08-85NV10461
• OSTI ID: 138059
• Report Number(s): NWPO-SE--033-90; ON: DE91010605
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
COMMUNITIES
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
NEVADA TEST SITE
PUBLIC OPINION
PUBLIC RELATIONS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RURAL AREAS
RURAL POPULATIONS
SOCIAL IMPACT
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
Yucca Mountain Project