A mob scene erupted in April 1990 in the sleepy hamlet of
Caneada, a small town on the northern edge of the Allegheny
Mountains. In addition to riots and numerous arrests, six senior
citizens, handcuffed to a heavy chain, formed a human barricade
across the steel bridge spanning the Genesee River. Their purpose
was to prevent the siting commission of a low-level radioactive
waste dump from getting across the bridge. In the past few decades,
finding sites for undesirable facilities, such as prisons and
garbage landfills, has become ever more difficult. The difficulty
lies not in tracking down technically suitable sites, but in the
so-called NIMBY syndrome. People might agree that a facility is
desperately needed just as long as it is Not In My Backyard. The
unfortunate results of this proverbial game of hot potato are
ever-mounting social and economic costs. State and local
governments will continue to spend small fortunes finding sites to
facilities that everyone desires hi principle but nobody seems to
want on their block.
In "Slaying the NIMBY Dragon, "Herbert Inhaber draws on the
experience of many NIMBY cases. He discusses new approaches to
overcoming NIMBY, such as . the reverse Dutch auction. Reverse,
because undesirable objects are being auctioned. This market
approach holds promise for meeting the objections of potential
neighbors of a LULU (Locally Unwanted Land Use) as well as
society's need to get the facilities built. According to Inhaber, a
site auction works better than negotiation--the community handles
it on their own, and when they are satisfied with a site they offer
a bid. The hefty bonus would go to the first county that agrees to
have a site built in their backyard. Psychological components of
the NIMBY syndrome are also discussed--logical objections and why
people think as they do about LULUs. Inhaber believes that the
trick to handling this problem is to take account of these personal
sentiments and accomplish the nation's work at the same time.
Inhaber adopts an optimistic approach to a problem that many
believe has become a national fixture with no solution. The nuclear
industry has been trying, without success, to dispose of its waste
for about four decades, to take just one example. Inhaber believes
there is a way to assuage the fears of an affected community while
simultaneously preserving the environment and the people. This book
will be of interest to environmentalists, developers, policymakers,
and those in the fields of waste industry, nuclear, and risk
analysis.
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