RAPID:Institutional Design, Policy Conflict, and Sustainable Governance: Measuring Public Support for Consent-Based Nuclear Waste Facility Siting in the US

RAPID：制度设计、政策冲突和可持续治理：衡量美国公众对基于同意的核废料设施选址的支持

• 批准号: 1660496
• 负责人: Carol Silva
• 金额: $ 19.36万
• 依托单位: University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-11-15 至 2017-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1660496&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Institutional; Design; Policy; Conflict

Efforts to develop a program for permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in the US have absorbed billions of tax dollars over many decades, yet have chiefly succeeded in generating an enduring policy stalemate without a clear programmatic path forward. This project exploits a unique time-sensitive opportunity to obtain meaningful and representative data from local residents living near two potential volunteer SNF storage sites in Texas and New Mexico, as well as state-wide data in both states, on citizen preferences for siting strategies for SNF management facilities. The data support analysis of the relationship between alternative consent-based siting designs and public consent for nuclear storage facility siting among nearby residents. The sample frame facilitates panel data collection for future studies on the relationship between institutional designs and sustainable support for facility siting. The research informs efforts to design a consent-based siting approach to nuclear facility siting (or other necessary but difficult-to-site facilities) that holds promise for achieving sustainable public and policy support for SNF disposal programs. The long-standing relationship between the research team and SNF program officers at the US Department of Energy suggests that the study results will very likely be of direct policy relevance. This study involves the design and implementation of a two-stage survey, implemented to random samples of four distinct populations:1. Residents of Eddy and Lea Counties, and the adjacent largely rural counties in New Mexico (n=800);2. Residents of Anderson County, and the adjacent largely rural counties in Texas (n=800);3. Residents of the State of New Mexico (n=600); and4. Residents of the state of Texas (n=600)The counties are prospective SNF facility hosts and their adjacent counties. The local county samples are drawn from Census balanced lists of registered voters, supplemented by random digit dialing (RDD) cell-phone samples, to assure balanced and representative samples of registered and unregistered voters. A large fraction of the residents of these counties are Hispanic, requiring the option of a Spanish-language instrument, tuned to the local dialect. To maintain comparability, the state samples also employ registered voter lists supplemented by RDD cell-phone list. Respondents in all four samples receive a 15-minute phone survey, with measures of perceived risks of exposure to SNF in transport and storage; familiarity with and level of support for the relevant local SNF storage initiative; levels of support for variations in siting process options, including the role of local consent; and a variety of demographic and belief system measures. Where relevant, the measures are designed to be comparable with the questions asked annually in national surveys on nuclear attitudes fielded by the PIs to permit comparison with national baselines. The phone survey recruits participants to take a second survey on-line (in either Spanish or English), offering a cash incentive ($10) for participation. Options are provided for local library participation, mobile devices, and computer access; recent studies have demonstrated that, particularly in Spanish-language populations, access to the internet via mobile devices is widespread. The web survey employs an experimental design in which respondents are randomly assigned to alternative designs for a consent process, varying key institutional features of that process. Based on the described consent process, support for the siting of the facility, and expectations about the eventual siting decision, are measured. Perceptions of the trustworthiness and directional bias in risk/benefit communications by representatives of involved state and federal agencies and non-governmental advocates are also measured. Finally, respondents are asked for permission to be contacted to participate in a prospective second wave survey, to be administered a year later (spring 2018). The 2018 survey is not be funded by this RAPID award, however, the data collected under this RAPID will be used to leverage follow-on proposals to continue this work. The spring 2017 phone and web surveys provides baseline data for comparison of changes in understanding of appropriate consent processes, trust, and siting preferences as experience with the siting process cumulates.

在美国，数十年来，制定永久处置乏核燃料（SNF）计划的努力已经吸收了数十亿美元的税收，但主要成功地造成了持久的政策僵局，没有明确的方案路径。该项目利用了一个独特的时间敏感的机会，获得有意义的和代表性的数据，从当地居民生活在附近的两个潜在的志愿者SNF存储地点在得克萨斯州和新墨西哥州，以及在这两个州的全州范围内的数据，对公民的偏好SNF管理设施选址策略。数据支持的替代同意为基础的选址设计和附近居民的核存储设施选址的公众同意之间的关系的分析。样本框架有利于收集面板数据，以供今后研究机构设计和可持续支持设施选址之间的关系。该研究为设计核设施选址（或其他必要但难以选址的设施）的基于同意的选址方法提供了信息，该方法有望为SNF处置计划提供可持续的公共和政策支持。研究团队与美国能源部SNF项目官员之间的长期关系表明，研究结果很可能与政策直接相关。本研究设计并实施了一个两阶段的调查，对四个不同的人群进行随机抽样：1。埃迪和莱亚县的居民，以及新墨西哥州邻近的大部分农村县（n=800）;2.德克萨斯州安德森县和邻近的大部分农村县的居民（n=800）;新墨西哥州居民（n=600）;和4.德克萨斯州的居民（n=600）这些县是潜在的SNF设施主机及其邻近县。地方县的样本来自人口普查登记选民的平衡名单，并辅以随机数字拨号（RDD）手机样本，以确保登记和未登记选民的平衡和代表性样本。这些县的大部分居民是西班牙裔，需要选择西班牙语乐器，调整到当地方言。为了保持可比性，各州样本还采用了登记选民名单，并辅以RDD手机名单。在所有四个样本的受访者接受了15分钟的电话调查，与运输和存储中暴露于SNF的感知风险的措施;熟悉和支持相关的本地SNF存储倡议;在选址过程中的选择，包括当地同意的作用的变化的支持程度;和各种人口和信仰体系的措施。在相关的情况下，这些措施的目的是与每年由PI进行的关于核态度的国家调查中提出的问题相比较，以便与国家基线进行比较。电话调查招募参与者参加第二次在线调查（西班牙语或英语），并为参与者提供现金奖励（10美元）。为当地图书馆参与、移动的设备和计算机访问提供了选择;最近的研究表明，特别是在西班牙语人群中，通过移动的设备访问互联网的情况很普遍。网络调查采用了一种实验设计，其中受访者被随机分配到同意过程的替代设计，改变该过程的关键机构特征。根据所描述的同意过程，衡量对设施选址的支持以及对最终选址决定的期望。还测量了相关州和联邦机构代表以及非政府倡导者对风险/获益沟通的可信度和方向性偏差的看法。最后，受访者被要求允许被联系参加一年后（2018年春季）进行的第二波前瞻性调查。2018年的调查不是由这个RAPID奖资助的，但是，在这个RAPID下收集的数据将用于利用后续提案继续这项工作。2017年春季的电话和网络调查提供了基线数据，用于比较随着选址过程经验的积累，对适当同意过程、信任和选址偏好的理解的变化。