ABSTRACT
The storage of high-level nuclear wastes involves a number of ethical and moral issues as well as technical and engineering dimensions. The potential long-term health and safety effects of the nuclear materials stored in repositories, the extremely long periods of time over which such materials may be dangerous, and the equity implications of the siting of a repository in any given area are unlike the issues involved in other large-scale projects. The chapter presents an overview of several key philosophical and ethical issues related to the siting of high-level nuclear waste repositories which reflect the dominant complex of values in our American culture labeled the "ethic of equity." Equity in common parlance refers to the quality of being fair or impartial in matters of justice. Economist Kenneth Boulding has introduced to terms such as time-discounting and discounting the future. The chapter provides an overview of ethical considerations surrounding the siting and mitigation of nuclear waste repositories.
