Underlying Yucca Mountain: The Interplay of Geology and Policy in Nuclear Waste Disposal

Nuclear waste disposal in the USA is a difficult policy issue infused with
science, technology, and politics. This issue provides an example of the co-production
of scientific knowledge and politics through public policy. The proponents of a
repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, argue that their decision to go ahead
with the site is based on ‘sound science’, but the science they use to uphold their
decision is influenced by politics. In turn, the politics of site selection has been altered
by the scientific knowledge produced. Interestingly, changes in the scientific
understanding of the site have forced policy-makers to look elsewhere for solutions.
In the case of Yucca Mountain, they turned to engineering solutions that have,
ironically, rendered any benefits of the site location superfluous. The Yucca Mountain
example has significant implications for the ability of policy-makers to carry out an
apparently democratic process for a science policy issue.