ABSTRACT
Some people assume that the poorest state or county eligible for an auction will always make the bid, that is, have the undesirable site on its territory. This chapter provides three answers to those who would claim that an auction system is a cynical way to exploit the poverty stricken. First, the wealthy will always escape. Second, the poor are smarter than one's think. Third, look at what the poor get now. Michael O'Hare has written extensively on unpleasant installations and their relationship to the income and wealth of the communities that get—or avoid—them. According to the civil rights group, some of the largest commercial hazardous waste landfills were located in predominantly black or Hispanic communities. Although Congress passed its original law on low-level radioactive wastes in 1980, a decade and a half later the planned-for system of regional waste sites hadn't appeared, due to public opposition.
