The participation of an educated and informed public in government decisions adds legitimacy to policies and can result in better balanced decisions. Public discussion on the nuclear-waste question may have been frustrated by asking the wrong questions. Public suspicion of the government's ability and intentions in regard to nuclear waste disposal should be addressed by presenting a complete tentative plan for discussion at government-funded forums to which expert comment and analysis can be contributed by interested members of the public. Examples from past hearings illustrate how public confusion has been perpetuated and the big picture has been lost. A set of criteria is set out which must satisfy the public before nuclear waste management will be accepted. Much of the present confusion is due to the separation of issues instead of recognizing the interconnections of decisions. (DCK)
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Abrams et al. (1980) studied this question.