Siting of Hazardous Waste Management Facilities

The author does a good job of identifying and discussing the siting issues confronting hazardous waste management facilities. These issues include: (1) Being able to demonstrate to the public the need for such a facility. (2) Selecting a proper size to accommodate the avail­ able waste without being perceived by the "host" com­ munity as their becoming a regional dump. (3) A lack of good information and hard data on the expected facility emissions, their impacts, and the asso­ ciated environmental and health risks. (4) Low level of confidence by the public in federal and state regulatory agencies regarding their ability and/or willingness to protect general health and welfare. (5) Media exposure of public to the perils of hazardous waste which leads, in many cases, to an incorrect percep­ tion of the impact and risk of hazardous waste manage­ ment facilities. The author correctly points out that to resolve these issues requires action on the part of the public sector, . Federal and State government entities, and the private sector. Specifically, the author summarizes his recom­ mendations for action: (1) Developing better data-gathering programs to support quantification of the impact of hazardous waste facilities upon the environment and public. (2) Developing a system for indemnifying the public