Author: The Kernel & Kiersten Sundell
The traditional approach to siting nuclear waste repositories has often been top-down – decisions about community land are made by governmental authorities or technical experts, without considering the socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological concerns of the host community. These decisions have resulted in opposition and mistrust, and have been at the root of long-standing grievances between the nuclear industry and native groups in particular. Consent-based siting is an attempt to learn from those mistakes by engaging with potential host communities at every step of the siting process. It helps ensure that the community has a meaningful voice and that their concerns, priorities, and values are fully taken into account.
This could not be more important, and it’s finally the new norm for the nuclear industry.
Under a consent-based siting approach, potential host communities for a nuclear waste repository are invited to express interest. Those that do express interest engage in a multi-year process of education, consultation, and negotiation. This process includes detailed assessments of the site’s suitability, and they also talk about potential economic and social impacts, compensation, and long-term monitoring and safety measures.
And you might be thinking, why would anyone want to host a nuclear waste repository? Well, for the same reason, they would be willing to host an industry, business, or even a factory. And trust me when I say that nuclear waste repositories have much less of an impact on the local environment than a factory. They don’t emit any radiation because of how carefully they are packaged, they’re free of emissions and dangerous chemicals, and on top of that, nobody is allowed nearby. Communities want to host them because their community is compensated, local management jobs are created, and it can create more tax revenue for schools and other public services.
In consent-based siting, the host community has the right to withdraw its consent at any point during the process. They’re never forced to accept a facility against their will – the ultimate decision to host a repository is completely voluntary. Siting a nuclear waste repository can be hard to navigate, but consent-based siting puts people before convenience – how it always should’ve been in the first place.
