Risk perception, future land use and stewardship: Comparison of attitudes about Hanford Site and Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory
J. Burger et al., Risk perception, future land use and stewardship: Comparison of attitudes about Hanford Site and Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, J ENVIR MGM, 61(4), 2001, pp. 265-280
With the ending of the Cold War, the Department of Energy (DOE) is evaluati
ng mission, future land use and stewardship of departmental facilities. Thi
s paper compares the environmental concerns and future use preferences of 3
51 people interviewed at Lewiston, Idaho, about the Hanford Site and Idaho
National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), two of DOE's lar
gest sites. Although most subjects lived closer to Hanford than INEEL, most
resided in the same state as INEEL. Therefore their economic interests mig
ht be more closely allied with INEEL, while their health concerns might be
more related to Hanford. Few lived close enough to either site to be direct
ly affected economically. We test the null hypotheses that there are no dif
ferences in environmental concerns and future land-use preferences as a fun
ction of DOE site, sex, age and education. When asked to list their major c
oncerns about the sites, more people listed human health and safety, and en
vironmental concerns about Hanford compared to INEEL. When asked to list th
eir preferred future land uses, 49% of subjects did not have any for INEEL,
whereas only 35% did not know for Hanford. The highest preferred land uses
for both sites were as a National Environmental Research Park (NERP), and
for camping, hunting, hiking, and fishing. Except for returning the land to
the tribes and increased nuclear storage, subjects rated all future uses a
s more preferred at INEEL than Hanford. Taken together, these data suggest
that the people interviewed know more about Hanford, are more concerned abo
ut Hanford, rate recreational uses and NERP as their highest preferred land
use, and feel that INEEL is more suited for most land uses than Hanford. O
verall rankings for future land uses were remarkably similar between the si
tes, indicating that for these stakeholders, DOE lands should be preserved
for research and recreation. These preferences should be taken into account
when planning for long-term stewardship at these two DOE sites. (C) 2001 A
cademic Press.