Beyond Nimby Hazardous Waste Siting in Canada and the United States

9780815773085

0815773080

Beyond NIMBY examines positive alternatives to prevailing approaches to siting and the familiar NIMBY outcomes. In particular, it shows that certain siting strategies in Canadian provinces and American states have created successful siting agreements, broad public support, and comprehensive systems of waste management and prevention. These strategies include continuous public involvement in waste policy deliberations, a commitment to pursue siting only among communities that volunteer after extended democratic dialogue, and extensive packages of economic compensation and assurances of safe, long-term facility management. Equally important are guarantees that any new facility will be only part of a broader waste strategy for a particular province, state, or region and will not be allowed to become a magnet for wastes from areas that have not taken serious steps to address their own waste problems. The book offers a promising future course and concludes with the suggestion that these strategies canbe applied,to other NIMBY-blocked proposals, such as siting for prisons, drug and alcohol treatment centers, and nursing homes.