Grounding hazardous waste cleanups: a promising remedy?

The linking of cleanups at contaminated sites in the US to the sites' expec ted land uses may offer a more rational and cheaper cleanup process, econom ic development in the local communities that host such sites, and more comm unity control of cleanups. Interviews with national-level stakeholders, inf ormation from a large database of contaminated sites, and a detailed case s tudy suggest these presumed benefits are problematic. Misunderstandings abo ut the current role of land use in cleanup, the likelihood of economic deve lopment at contaminated sites, the viability of institutional controls, the willingness of communities to accept partial cleanups, and public involvem ent warrant more attention. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reser ved.