Understanding the
Societal Challenges
Facing Nuclear Power
_____
Anne Frances Johnson, Rapporteur
Committee on Laying the Foundation
for New and Advanced Nuclear
Reactors in the United States
Board on Energy and Environmental
Systems
Division on Engineering and Physical
Sciences
Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Proceedings of a Workshop
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This study was supported by a gift donation from James J. Truchard and by Contract No. DE-EP0000026/89243221FNE400063 with the U.S. Department of Energy. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-68984-7
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-68984-8
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/26606
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Understanding the Societal Challenges Facing Nuclear Power: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26606.
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COMMITTEE ON LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR NEW AND ADVANCED NUCLEAR REACTORS IN THE UNITED STATES
RICHARD A. MESERVE, NAE,1 Covington & Burling, LLP, Chair
AHMED ABDULLA, Carleton University
TODD ALLEN, University of Michigan
JAQUELIN COCHRAN, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
MICHAEL L. CORRADINI, NAE, University of Wisconsin–Madison
RICHARD CUPITT, Stimson Center
LESLIE DEWAN, Criticality Capital and RadiantNano
HEATHER FELDMAN,2 Electric Power Research Institute
MICHAEL FORD, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
KIRSTY GOGAN, LucidCatalyst
NING KANG, Idaho National Laboratory
ALLISON M. MACFARLANE, University of British Columbia
DAVID K. OWENS, Xcel Energy, Inc.
JAMES RISPOLI, North Carolina State University
RACHEL SLAYBAUGH,3 DCVC
SOLA TALABI, Pittsburgh Technical
STEVEN J. ZINKLE, NAE, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Staff
K. JOHN HOLMES, Board Director and Scholar, Board on Energy and Environmental Systems (BEES)
KASIA KORNECKI, Study Director and Program Officer, BEES
CATHERINE WISE, Program Officer, BEES
REBECCA DEBOER, Research Associate, BEES
KYRA HOWE, Research Assistant, BEES
JASMINE BRYANT, Program Assistant, BEES
CHARLES FERGUSON, Director, Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board (NRSB)
JENNIFER HEIMBERG, Senior Program Officer, NRSB
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1 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
2 Resigned April 2022.
3 Resigned May 2022.
BOARD ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS
JARED COHON, NAE,1 Carnegie Mellon University, Chair
VICKY BAILEY, Anderson Stratton Enterprises, LLC
CARLA BAILO, Center for Automotive Research
DEEPAKRAJ M. DIVAN, NAE, Georgia Institute of Technology
MARCIUS EXTAVOUR, XPRIZE
T.J. GLAUTHIER, TJG Energy Associates, LLC
PAULA GLOVER, Alliance to Save Energy
NAT GOLDHABER, Claremont Creek Ventures
DENISE GRAY, LG Chem Michigan, Inc.
JOHN KASSAKIAN, NAE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
BARBARA KATES-GARNICK, Tufts University
ARATI PRABHAKAR, NAE, Actuate
JOSÉ SANTIESTEBAN, NAE, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
ALEXANDER SLOCUM, NAE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
GORDON VAN WELIE, NAE, ISO New England, Inc.
DAVID G. VICTOR, University of California, San Diego
JOHN C. WALL, NAE, Cummins, Inc.
ROBERT WEISENMILLER, California Energy Commission (Retired)
JETTA WONG, JLW Advising
Staff
K. JOHN HOLMES, Director and Scholar
JAMES ZUCCHETTO, Senior Scientist
ELIZABETH ZEITLER, Associate Director
BRENT HEARD, Program Officer
KASIA KORNECKI, Program Officer
CATHERINE WISE, Program Officer
REBECCA DEBOER, Research Associate
KYRA HOWE, Research Assistant
JASMINE BRYANT, Program Assistant
HEATHER LOZOWSKI, Financial Manager
___________________
1 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This Proceedings of a Workshop was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this proceedings:
CHARLES MCCOMBIE, Independent Consultant,
CATHERINE H. MIDDLECAMP, University of Wisconsin–Madison,
ORTWIN RENN, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS)–Potsdam, and
JOSE N. REYES, NAE,1 NuScale Power.
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by JEFFREY DAGLE, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He was responsible for making certain
___________________
1 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteur and the National Academies.
Contents
1 THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY’S RECORD OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
2 LESSONS FROM THE SOCIAL AND DECISION SCIENCES
3 LESSONS FROM THE FIELD OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES
4 LESSONS FROM OTHER INDUSTRIES
5 LESSONS FROM NUCLEAR WASTE SITING
6 BEST PRACTICES FROM ONGOING ACTIVITIES RELATED TO NUCLEAR ENERGY
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