Thesis
Toxic narrative: a qualitative case study of the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository
Washington State University
Master of Public Affairs (MPA), Washington State University
12/2018
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000000076
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/118919
Abstract
The Narrative Policy Framework was developed to ask what role narratives play in the policy
process. Previous research around scientific and public land use topics in the public sphere has
shown that narratives do play a role, but none of those studies have approached the question
from the stakeholder side to examine how they tried to frame the narrative. This study asked how
narratives, which are the building blocks of the framework, were utilized by individuals and
coalitions in order to influence the outcome of the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository. It
also examined how science informed, or failed to inform, those narratives. Stakeholder
interviews were combined with a review of publicly-available secondary material, such as
newspaper articles, to answer this question in an exploratory way for this case study. Although
the science of the repository was an important part of the narrative, it was not the only theme
identified in content research and semi-structured interviews. Other themes, including Nevada’s
nuclear past, transportation, Yucca’s role in nuclear power, Nevada’s identity, popular and
entertainment media, and the use of science in the narrative, also influenced the public narrative
and policy outcome. Ultimately, these narrative themes mattered at least as much as the science in creating perceptions of the project. However, the narrative themes and the NPF do not entirely
explain the outcome of this project. Traditional political and legislative processes and trust in the
messenger were also integral to the outcome at Yucca Mountain, thus expanding the potential
applications of NPF and showing some of its limitations.
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Details
- Title
- Toxic narrative: a qualitative case study of the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository
- Creators
- AMELIA J VENEZIANO
- Contributors
- PAUL THIERS (Degree Supervisor) - Washington State University, Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs, School ofMARK STEPHAN (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs, School ofALLISON COFFIN (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Department of
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Public Affairs (MPA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 97
- Identifiers
- 99900591863801842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis