The voluntary siting process, a case study in New Jersey

The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980 and its 1985 Amendments has not provided new disposal capacity within the United States; however, sufficient disposal capacity currently exists to handle today's disposal needs. Politics, opposition groups, and public mistrust in government have combined to limit the possibilities for establishing new disposal facilities. In 2000, New Jersey (NJ and Connecticut (CT), as members of the Northeast Compact for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste, admitted South Carolina (SC) to their compact, renaming it as the "Atlantic Compact." The advantage to SC is that they are able to prevent disposal of waste from outside the Compact. The advantage to NJ and CT is that they are guaranteed waste disposal for approximately the next 50 years, or until all currently operating nuclear power plants in the states are decommissioned. This paper details the process, much of it not following the scientific method, to try to site a low-level waste facility in NJ. With the formation of the NJ Siting Board in 1987, an effort was made to locate a site using deterministic criteria; however, in 1992, the Board shifted to a voluntary process. In 1998, the Board made the determination that there was adequate capacity for waste disposal and ended active siting. In 2000, the opportunity to form the Atlantic Compact ended siting through an out-of-state solution. While it is not clear that the voluntary process would have ultimately worked in NJ, it has worked in Canada and the process may be one of the few mechanisms for the siting of any type of hazardous material disposal facility. Also, other states still have to decide what they will do after 2008 when Barnwell is no longer open to them.