Institutional Issues in the Planning and Implementation of a Program to Dispose of High-Level Radioactive Wastes

The research reported here was initiated in January 1980 and performed for the Office of Policy and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Energy. The study arises from recognition by the DOE that the resolution of institutional issues is vital to the establishment of facilities to dispose of high-level radioactive waste (HLW). The disposal of HLW is an intensely difficult public policy problem. The DOE must develop and implement complex physical and engineering systems in the face of dispersed intra- and intergovernmental authorities, highly asymmetric risk/benefit distributions, and emotion surrounding potential radiation hazards. The requirements for implementing a program with complex institutional relationships where there are no clear lines between technical judgments, political judgments, and institutional arrangements are not well understood.<br/>The purpose of the research reported here is (a) to determine the nature of institutional issues facing the HLW disposal program, (b) to identify actions needed to resolve these issues, (c) to describe and evaluate the implications for program design and implementation, and (d) to help assess the capabilities of the current program for implementing a repository program.<br/>The research involved a review of DOE and contractor program documentation; program documentation from other agencies; articles, meeting reports, and transcripts on nuclear waste management; and other siting literature. The aim was to identify the institutional and other &quot;actors,&quot; their responsibilities, and points of controversy between DOE and<br/>other actors. Personal notes and observations of the author gathered from several years of structuring, participating in, and observing meetings to identify and assess policy and institutional issues in nuclear waste management supplemented the literature review.<br/>Literature on implementation, organizational behavior, and business administration was used to evaluate and describe the implications for program design. The program documentation and interviews with DOE management officials were used to assess current capabilities of the DOE HLW program for undertaking the activities necessary for implementation.<br/>This Note is intended to provide guidance to the DOE policy office on improved means of planning and implementing a program to develop HLW repositories. The evaluation of the institutional framework facing the Department and the paths of actions needed to implement the program-found in Section II and Appendixes A and B--should be useful to the DOE line manager responsible for program components important to waste disposal. The Note should also be of interest to individuals, agencies, states, and other organizations participating in the establishment of nuclear waste facilities.