The voluntary siting process: The solution to siting in the Northeast Compact

The date: June 10, 1991. The decision: the announcement of three 'candidate sites' for a low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) facility in Connecticut following statewide screening. The debate: the right of the citizens of the state to refuse to have this type of facility in their 'backyard' versus the State's responsibility to provide for the safe management of LLRW generated within its borders. The debacle: vigorous opposition, political involvement, no opportunity for effective dialogue with the candidate towns. The end: a legislative mandate to terminate the siting process. This series of events, familiar to those in the business of attempting to site and develop unwanted and unwelcome facilities, would have thwarted efforts to provide for disposal capacity in the Northeast Compact region. Connecticut's efforts to site a LLRW disposal facility pursuant to a traditional 'decide-announce-defend' approach had apparently failed. New Jersey, its partner in the Compact, was also ready to proceed with a similar process that would lead to the naming of several candidate sites, but suspended its efforts to review other siting alternatives. The problem: a new approach was needed. The answer: both states would pursue voluntary siting for the LLRW facilities. The result: the best chance for successful development of LLRW disposal capacity in the Northeast Compact region