Public consultation in public policy information: a state-of-the-art report

Technical Report · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7013613· OSTI ID:7013613

Bishop, A. B.; McKee, M.; Hansen, R. D.

The purpose of the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program is to site, construct and operate nuclear waste repositories at several locations. Recent experience indicates that the public is aware of the problems of nuclear waste disposal, and correspondingly there is public concern about how and where to dispose of nuclear wastes. The selection of sites involves a wide range of considerations including geological, technical and environmental feasibility. In addition to these, it is important that societal acceptance of repository options also be taken into account in moving foward with the NWTS Program. Such an incorporation of social considerations and preferences correspondingly implies the need for public consultation in the site selection process. In exploring the concept and state-or-the-art of public involvement in public policy decision, a number of important questions are relevant: (1) What are the basic objectives of public participation in policy formation and program decisions. (2) Who are the ''publics'' that should be involved and how can they be identified. (3) What information should be communicated between the agency and the publics. (4) What techniques are available to elicit public participation and involvement and what are their capabilities. At the outset, it should be noted that the purpose of this paper in addressing these questions is not to design public participation procedures for the NWTS program. Rather, the above are questions that provide a broad framework for developing an understanding of citizen participation in public policy decisions, such as nuclear waste disposal. In this sense, the following discussion is to provide a context and guidance for approaching the problem of organizing and structuring involvement in the NWTS program. Annotated bibliography of 95 references is included.

• Research Organization: Intermountain Consultants and Planners, Inc., Logan, UT (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 7013613
• Report Number(s): Y/OWI/SUB-77/22335
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290200 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Economics & Sociology
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
DECISION MAKING
DOCUMENT TYPES
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
INFORMATION THEORY
MANAGEMENT
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PLANNING
PUBLIC OPINION
PUBLIC RELATIONS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
SITE SELECTION
SOCIAL IMPACT
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT