Institutional designs for long-term stewardship of nuclear and hazardous waste sites

Within the borders of the United States reside numerous nuclear and hazardo us waste sites that will pose risks to humans and ecosystems for many centu ries, and in some cases several millennia. This article evaluates several d esigns for an institution to act as the steward for these sites. To offer l essons learned about the characteristics of long-lasting human institutions , several that have existed for hundreds and thousands of years are reviewe d, including the Dominican monastic order, the Sangha community of Buddhist monks, and universities such as those located in Oxford and Paris. Six alt ernative institutional designs are evaluated over a set of four evaluation criteria. It is recommended that the United States establish a new type of secular nonprofit institution, entitled The Stewardship Institution, to act as steward for the sites. This option is judged most able to focus on the mission of stewardship, meet its technical challenges, survive inevitable p eriods of political and economic instabilities, and meet current generation cost and implementation concerns. Other institutions considered include a consolidated national stewardship organization, a religious organization, a nd a new state of the union called the Legacy State. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scie nce Inc. All rights reserved.