Climate Change, Policy Paralysis, and A Nuclear Waste Island? Exploring Perceptions of Risk, Trust, and Community Agency in Navigating Uncertain Futures Facing Humboldt Bay's Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Site

Author

Alexander Brown, Cal Poly HumboldtFollow

Graduation Date

Fall 2024

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Master of Science degree with a major in Natural Resources: option Environmental Science and Management

Committee Chair Name

Jennifer Marlow

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Second Committee Member Name

Laurie Richmond

Second Committee Member Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Third Committee Member Name

Joice Change

Third Committee Member Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Climate and coastal hazards, Nuclear waste, Perceptions of risk, Community engagement, Sea level rise, Public trust, Participatory justice

Subject Categories

Environmental Science and Management

Abstract

Climate and coastal hazards threaten the long-term viability of indefinite in-situ nuclear waste storage in the U.S., especially at vulnerable “stranded” sites like Humboldt Bay, California. The national policy framework is fundamentally incompatible with emergent climate realities and does not adequately accommodate uncertainty, localized hazard conditions, and the sociocultural and political dynamics that manifest in diverse and contested public arenas. I interviewed 21 community-experts working at the intersection of climate change and nuclear waste, and co-facilitated three scenario planning workshops to gather insights on how to responsibly manage Humboldt Bay’s nuclear waste in a climate-altered world. Qualitative findings indicate variation in risk perceptions, distrust of the nuclear industry, and diminished local capacity and authority. With a clear focus on power asymmetries, uncertainty, and institutional barriers, I offer strategies to (1) enhance federal oversight through regulatory reform; (2) develop institutions that foster best available science, transparent decision-making, and transdisciplinary and cross-jurisdictional learning; and (3) build technical capacity and literacy within communities hosting nuclear waste to productively engage this topic. I use nuclear waste as a lens through which to discursively examine the broader nuclear energy transition and to reassess industry and regulatory priorities, with the aim of integrating procedural and distributive justice into decision-making processes.

Citation Style

Harvard

Recommended Citation

Brown, Alexander, "Climate Change, Policy Paralysis, and A Nuclear Waste Island? Exploring Perceptions of Risk, Trust, and Community Agency in Navigating Uncertain Futures Facing Humboldt Bay's Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Site" (2024). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 790.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/790