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

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  • Hank C. Jenkins‐Smith
  • Carol L. Silva
  • Matthew C. Nowlin
  • Grant deLozier

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.

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  • Hank C. Jenkins‐Smith & Carol L. Silva & Matthew C. Nowlin & Grant deLozier, 2011. "Reversing Nuclear Opposition: Evolving Public Acceptance of a Permanent Nuclear Waste Disposal Facility," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 629-644, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:riskan:v:31:y:2011:i:4:p:629-644
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2010.01543.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Dan M. Kahan, 2013. "Ideology, motivated reasoning, and cognitive reflection," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 8(4), pages 407-424, July.
    4. JongRoul Woo & HyungBin Moon & Jongsu Lee & Jinyong Jang, 2017. "Public attitudes toward the construction of new power plants in South Korea," Energy & Environment, , vol. 28(4), pages 499-517, June.
    5. Uji, Azusa & Prakash, Aseem & Song, Jaehyun, 2021. "Does the “NIMBY syndrome” undermine public support for nuclear power in Japan?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 148(PA).
    6. repec:cup:judgdm:v:8:y:2013:i:4:p:407-424 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Mitsch, Frieder & McNeil, Andrew, 2022. "Political implications of ‘green’ infrastructure in one’s ‘backyard’: the Green Party’s Catch 22?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 115269, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Wenling Bao & Yu Chen & Caiyun Cui & Bo Xia & Yongjian Ke & Martin Skitmore & Yong Liu, 2023. "How to Shape Local Public Acceptance of Not-in-My-Backyard Infrastructures? A Social Cognitive Theory Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-18, November.
    9. Yuichiro Amekawa, 2023. "High-Level Radioactive Disposal Policy in Japan: A Sociological Appraisal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-26, May.
    10. Peng Xu & Xinyue Yao & Lan Lan & Ke Xu & Cunkuan Bao, 2022. "Research on the Paths and Effectiveness of Governance Tools Based on the Evolution of Environmental NIMBY Event," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-12, February.
    11. Sung-Yoon Huh & JongRoul Woo & Chul-Yong Lee, 2019. "What Do Potential Residents Really Want When Hosting a Nuclear Power Plant? An Empirical Study of Economic Incentives in South Korea," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-17, March.
    12. Naomi Aoki, 2018. "Who Would Be Willing to Accept Disaster Debris in Their Backyard? Investigating the Determinants of Public Attitudes in Post‐Fukushima Japan," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(3), pages 535-547, March.
    13. Galjak, Marko & Budić, Marina, 2024. "Public perceptions of fossil and alternative energy in Serbia: Between NIMBYism and nationalism," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    14. Roman Seidl & Corinne Moser & Michael Stauffacher & Pius Krütli, 2013. "Perceived Risk and Benefit of Nuclear Waste Repositories: Four Opinion Clusters," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(6), pages 1038-1048, June.
    15. Rachel M. Krause & Sanya R. Carley & David C. Warren & John A. Rupp & John D. Graham, 2014. "“Not in (or Under) My Backyard”: Geographic Proximity and Public Acceptance of Carbon Capture and Storage Facilities," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 34(3), pages 529-540, March.
    16. Le Yaouanq, Yves, 2023. "A model of voting with motivated beliefs," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 394-408.
    17. Kuhika Gupta & Joseph T. Ripberger & Hank C. Jenkins‐Smith & Carol L. Silva, 2020. "Exploring Aggregate vs. Relative Public Trust in Administrative Agencies that Manage Spent Nuclear Fuel in the United States," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 37(4), pages 491-510, July.
    18. D. Warner North, 2013. "Can Sisyphus Succeed? Getting U.S. High‐Level Nuclear Waste into a Geological Repository," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(1), pages 2-14, January.

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