How nuclear reactor siting affects local communities

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1976 · Surv. Bus.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7249343

Bjornstad, D J

The local economic impacts of building and eventually operating nuclear power plants is discussed. In the business sector such impacts involve: changes in overall employment; distribution of income or employment; and/or the relative prices of local goods and services. In the government sector, a significant number of new workers residing locally may place pressure on public services. The impacts differ, of course, during construction as opposed to operation of the plant and are affected by such factors as the percentage of migrant workers, purchases of goods and services by both workers and contractors, and tax changes necessitated by the facility. A number of policy-related implications are supported in this analysis. First it is desirable to avoid siting facilities in areas with inadequate labor forces. A second public policy issue is to redistribute a major portion of the tax benefits associated with reactor siting. Finally it should be noted that widespread adoption of nuclear-powered electrical stations without a system of revenue redistribution could mean a transfer of substantial amounts of tax revenues from large metropolitan regions to rural areas. The overall issue of economic impacts associated with power reactors may eventually be reduced to mitigation of construction impacts with provision for a minimum long-term incentive to host communities, as well as a repayment mechanism to help metropolitan areas recoup what might otherwise be a permanent outflow of tax dollars. (MCW)

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN
• OSTI ID: 7249343
• Journal Information: Surv. Bus.; (United States), Journal Name: Surv. Bus.; (United States) Vol. 11:5; ISSN SUBUD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290200 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Economics & Sociology
290600* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Nuclear Energy
530100 -- Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies-- Social & Economic Studies-- (-1989)
COMMUNITIES
CONSTRUCTION
ECONOMICS
EDUCATION
ENERGY
ENERGY POLICY
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
INCOME
NUCLEAR ENERGY
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
OCCUPATIONS
PERSONNEL
POWER PLANTS
REACTOR SITES
SITE SELECTION
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
TAXES
THERMAL POWER PLANTS