ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the way Congress dealt with both the technical and. political issues of nuclear waste over the past decade. The congressional policy makers have tries to meet two objectives often thought to be in conflict: to design a technically sound repository siting program, and to respond to public concerns over the health and environmental risks posed by such repositories. The need for high–level radioactive waste disposal derives chiefly from the federal government’s decision over thirty–five years ago to promote and heavily subsidize the commercial use of atomic energy. Nuclear waste is at the top of the list of modern technological risks people most fear, making public perception of the risks important even when they differ dramatically from expert judgment. The development of nuclear waste policy in Congress says much about the way in which policy analysis influences decisions on major issues of science and technology policy.
