Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites (2000) / Chapter Skim
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8 Design Principles and Criteria for an Effective Long-Term Institutional Management System: Findings and Recommendations
8 Design Principles and Criteria for an Effective Long-Term Institutional Management System: Findings and Recommendations
Pages 93-100
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From page 93... ...
To return to the prescient observation of Alvin Weinberg noted at the beginning of this report, management of nuclear wastes and contaminated sites will require "both a vigilance and a longevity of our social institutions that we are quite unaccustomed to." Given the scope of the challenges and current limits in scientific understanding and technical capability, these problems cannot simply be made to "go away" by application of existing scientific and technical know-how. Nor is it prudent to adopt the position that the influences that can erode management systems and organizations will be successfully held at bay over time by existing institutions, including but not limited to DOE.
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From page 94... ...
Complementarity and Consistency "Complementarily and consistency" as the phrase is used here, refers to having contaminant reduction, contaminant isolation, and stewardship measures that support and enhance each other, rather than hobbling or detracting from each other. If, for example, a contaminant isolation measure (such as waste entombment)
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From page 95... ...
have argued that nuclear waste management appears to create greater need for "institutional constancy" than is possible from the typical approach in many policy institutions, namely "muddling through." Iteration: Revisiting Site Disposition Decisions "Iteration" refers to the concept that, when a site's uses must be restricted because of residual contaminants, it is desirable to periodically reconsider both how well the site's protective system is working and whether it can
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From page 96... ...
Under the circumstances, perhaps the best that can be done is to plan more carefully about the kinds of approaches and institutions that could be developed to do a better job, as noted earlier, keeping in mind at all times the importance and preferability of minimizing regret. By this, we mean developing a decision strategy overall that avoids foreclosing future options where sensible, takes contingencies into account wherever possible, and takes seriously the prospects that failures of institutional controls or other stewardship measures in the future could have ramifications that a good steward would want to avoid triggering through inappropriate action in the present.
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From page 97... ...
Engineered barriers have limited design lives compared with the time periods over which wastes will remain hazardous, and hence, will require ongoing surveillance and maintenance, and in some cases periodic replacement, to assure their continued ability to isolate wastes. · Designing and maintaining long-lasting engineered barriers pose significant challenges for long-term institutional management.
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From page 98... ...
The use of private-sector reindustrialization at DOE sites, while in many ways laudable, needs to be examined from a long-term institutional management perspective that takes into account the inherent fallibility of stewardship measures and other limitations in society's ability to manage contaminated sites over the long term. RECOMMENDATIONS Early and careful planning is necessary in several arenas to begin the process of developing an institutional management program for long-term disposition of radioactive and hazardous waste sites that ensures the protection of the public and the environment.
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From page 99... ...
Active citizen oversight of long-term management should be likewise encouraged, with stable funding or financial rewards for detection of lapses in the stewardship system, although it should never be relied upon as the lynchpin of a long-term institutional management program, since citizen groups also suffer "atrophy of vigilance." Undertake Scientific, Technical, and Social Research and Development Effective long-term institutional management of waste sites requires attention to limits in knowledge wherever they inhibit our ability to apply the three sets of institutional management measures discussed in the report. This requires attention to both the basic science and technology needs and the organizational and human performance aspects of long-term planning systems.
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From page 100... ...
In essence, long-term institutional management needs to be oriented toward collaborative, adaptive learning by systematically and actively seeking opportunities that cause learning and rethinking to occur.
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