[en] The Sizewell B inquiry on a proposed new nuclear power plant on the Suffolk coast appears to have been objective and accurate, but whether it is a useful decisionmaking tool and vehicle for real public participation in technology assessment is open to question. The hearing process was intensified by the controversial nature of US pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology in this first test of public acceptance in Britain, where the decision was made earlier to go with gas-cooled reactors. After reviewing the PWR concerns and the first year of the inquiry, the author concludes that the safety review policy has limited the examination of many specific aspects of the design while encouraging objectors to look at generic issues that are largely insoluble. Sizewell, he feels, may encapsulate lessons for other countries in facing risk/benefit questions involving values. 46 references

[en] Radioactive waste discussions have centered, to date, on whether sites can be found and whether storage methods can be made sound enough to prevent accidental leakage into the environment. Seldom raised in public discussion, however, is the threat of intentional release of waste into the environment through acts of terrorism, an issue involving long-term safeguards. Part of the problem lies in the methodology used to evaluate large-scale projects using cost benefit or risk-cost-benefit analyses. After examining the terrorist threat and current planning for safeguards, the authors review the concept of irreversible disposal and other technological steps as well as the possibilities for changing how economists and engineers make decisions. They conclude that no credible means of analysis exists today