Public values related to decisions in the Tank Waste Remediation System Program

Managers of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Program have to make numerous decisions, ranging from the strategic decisions on the fundamental tank cleanup goals to technical decisions on which types of equipment to use in mechanical retrieval of wastes. Furthermore, many of these decisions have to be made repeatedly (e.g., the annual allocation of research and development funds to TWRS activities). These decisions have many potential consequences in terms of risks to workers, risks to the public, environmental impacts, and economic development and cost. Because these consequences affect the values of many parties, the consequences need to be evaluated in terms that are accepted and understood by the interested parties. Therefore, an effort needs to be made to incorporate public concerns and values into the TWRS decision-making process. The purpose of this report is to review and integrate this past work on values and to create a maser list of values in order to create a consistent value framework for the numerous TWRS decisions; efficiently and effectively use public values in the decision-making process by updating this report on a regular basis to ensure that the information represents the public's current views; provide guidance about using values in technical TWRS decisions