CRESP assesses, recommends and demonstrates approaches to encourage the involvement of a diverse group of stakeholders to help shape decisions focused on achieving technically sound nuclear waste management. Project activities include:

• Conducting focus groups and surveys;
• Developing communication tools and educational materials; and
• Carrying out case and organizational studies’

Lead Researchers

Jane Stewart, NYU
David Kosson, Vanderbilt University
Joanna Burger, Rutgers University
Michael Gochfeld, Rutgers University
Karen Lowrie, Rutgers University
Michael Greenberg, Rutgers University
Hank Mayer, Rutgers University
Matthew Weber, Rutgers University
Michael Greenberg, Rutgers
Jennifer Guelfo, Texas Tech
Evan Gray, Texas Tech

EM Sites Impacted

• EM Complex-wide
• Hanford: Richland Operations Office and Office of River Protection

Current Project Areas

Development of an Overarching Strategy to Promote Trusted Information on Radioactive Waste

Lead Investigator: Matthew Weber (Lead), Mike Greenberg, and Joanna Burger (Rutgers University)

Project Objectives:

1. The goals of this project are to:
   • To analyze the current landscape of public perceptions regarding complex information related to radioactive waste and nuclear energy more broadly to engage with internal and external stakeholders, including community members, regulatory bodies, and scientific experts, to gather diverse perspectives on the issue of identifying and communicating authentic and trustworthy information
   • Assess the transparency and effectiveness of existing stakeholder engagement efforts and to identify opportunities for improvement.
   • To develop tailored strategic engagement guidelines that complement existing efforts and specifically outline strategies for effectively establishing authority and trust in the context of the modern media environment
   • To establish an iterative approach to the evaluation of the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement, especially with regard to trust in engagement.
   • To develop guidelines regarding effective communication of complex scientific information regarding radioactive waste and nuclear energy more broadly, as well as guidelines regarding effective strategic communication planning to foster trust and collaboration with key stakeholders

Significance/Impact:
The DOE-EM cleanup mission is an integral part of the communities where cleanup is ongoing (Greenberg et al., 2019); further, risk communication related to nuclear cleanup efforts is increasingly integrated with the strategic use of media (Kim, 2021). Incidents such as the Fukushima disaster underscore the importance of the strategic use of new media channels, such as social media, as part of a complex mix of channels implemented as part of stakeholder engagement efforts (Ng and Lean, 2012). Despite the critical role of stakeholder engagement in managing risk communication relevant cleanup sites, the challenges of engaging in modern and complex media environments remain understudied (Balong-Way, McComas, and Besley, 2020), especially in the context of establishing and maintaining trust and authenticity with key stakeholders in an era where trust is frequently called into question.

This study focuses on communities surrounding key DOE-EM cleanup sites to examine the motivations that drive trust on the part of community stakeholders when identifying reliable information sources. Moreover, in examining DOE-EM cleanup sites and surrounding communities, this research effort will study the broader information ecosystems that exist around the target communities to better understand how DOE-EM cleanup sites engaged in the context of current stakeholder engagement efforts in order to establish, sustain, and grow trust with community members.

In part, this work is driven by ongoing concerns about the increasing decline of trust in government.  For example, within local communities, recent work points to a notable decline in trust in official information channels, with such a decline posing a significant challenge for risk communication efforts. This decline in trust and the increasing availability of information sources is a notable issue for risk communication scholars and practitioners (Balong-Way, McComas, and Besley, 2020). Distrust has the potential to stymie a wide range of communication efforts, with some advocating that the battle to establish trusted channels of stakeholder engagement should ultimately be thought of as akin to battling the spread of a pandemic (Bonnevie, Sitting, and Smyser, 2021).

There is the potential for implementation and study at several DOE-EM cleanup sites, but the Savannah River Site, Portsmouth Site, and Hanford Site each provide unique opportunities for study and comparison. The varying demographics of the communities surrounding each site create an opportunity to examine a variety of stakeholder engagement contexts, and the media ecosystems surrounding each site are unique from one another, providing an important basis for comparison.

Public Benefits:

Findings regarding trust will improve engagement and communication with Tribes and stakeholders by identifying approaches and mechanisms that drive trust and continued transparency, furthering the DOE-EM’s cleanup mission and,

Outcomes from this project will aid in determining an appropriate mix of engagement tools, communication channels, and approaches that enhance trust and authenticity, as well as core challenges of concern based on external Tribal and stakeholder perspectives.

Examination of the science of science communication will lead to the development of guidelines for effectively engaging external stakeholders with complex scientific information that is relevant, comprehensible, accurate, and trustworthy

References: (* indicates CRESP publication)

Balog‐Way, D., McComas, K., & Besley, J. (2020). The evolving field of risk communication. Risk Analysis, 40(S1), 2240-2262.

Bonnevie, E., Sittig, J., & Smyser, J. (2021). The case for tracking misinformation the way we track disease. Big Data & Society, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517211013867

*Greenberg, M, Apostolakis, G, Fields, T, Goldstein, B, Kosson, D, Krahn, S, Matthews, R, Rispoli, J, Stewart, J & Stewart, R 2019, ‘Advancing Risk‐Informed Decision Making in Managing Defense Nuclear Waste in the United States: Opportunities and Challenges for Risk Analysis’, Risk Analysis, vol.  39, no. 2, pp. 375‐388. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13135

Kim, J. (2021). The Meaning of Numbers: Effect of Social Media Engagement Metrics in Risk Communication. Communication Studies, 72(2), 195–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2020.1819842

*Krahn, S., Weber, M. S., Greenberg, M. and Henry, M. (2024). Co-PI. Informing Consent-Based Siting of a Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF): Examining Public Engagement Through History and Evaluation of Prior & Current Outreach Results.

Ng, K.-H., & Lean, M.-L. (2012). The Fukushima nuclear crisis reemphasizes the need for improved risk communication and better use of social media. Health physics, 103(3), 307-310.

Evaluating Out-Migration of Skilled Residents at EM’s Major Sites

Lead Investigator: Michael Greenberg (Vanderbilt University)

Additional Investigators: Henry Mayer (Vanderbilt University) and David Kosson (Vanderbilt University)

Project Objectives:

The goals of this project are to:

• Objective 1: Measure migration trends into and out of the areas surrounding EM’s 10 major sites, focusing on the loss of key residents whom DOE will otherwise likely want to draw upon for employment.
• Objective 2: Translate these results into steps DOE can take to reduce the loss of these people.

Significance/Impact:
The expectation is that portions of these 10 DOE regions will disproportionately represent what the U.S. Census Bureau classifies as “persistent poverty” areas, which implies loss of working age and selective out-migration of the more educated and younger people. The DOE will be engaged at these sites for decades and will want to draw upon local residents for a reliable labor force. These results should reinforce DOE’s local efforts under Justice40 to provide training assets, infrastructure, and other programs that will reduce the loss of key population assets and attract new residents to DOE’s site regions. In essence, it is in DOE’s interest to identify steps it can take to slow down migration in these regions by creating opportunities for local people who will support DOE’s missions. This means prioritizing the places and investigating methods for supporting local organizations and their populations.

Public Benefits:
This project will identify specific programs that DOE can build on to provide jobs, training, and other activities and programs to reduce the loss of key local residents and to help boost local economies. These activities will build a path to success for ambitious local residents and provide reasons for them to stay in the region thereby improving the areas near DOE facilities.

References: (* indicates CRESP publication)

Greenberg, M. (2022) Stigma as a Multi-Spatial-Scale Process: Revisiting the Worst U.S. Superfund Sites. Risk Analysis, 42 (12), 1-13.

Greenberg, M., and Schneider, D. (2023). Toward a Healthier Garden State: Beyond Cancer Clusters and COVID. New Brunswick, Nj, Rutgers University Press.

Schneider, D. and Greenberg, M. (2023) Remediating and Reusing Abandoned Mining Sites in U.S. Metropolitan Areas: Raising Visibility and Value. Sustainability, 2023, 15(9), 7080, https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097080

*Greenberg, M. and Kosson, D. (2023). Persistent Poverty, Migration, and Demographic Change as Baseline Indicators for Federal Investment: A Pilot Study of the Savannah River Site, CRESP.

Greenberg, M. and Schneider, D. (2024). Review Paper: Trust and Building Sustainable Local Health and Well-Being Programs in the United States. Sustainability. 16, 1670. https://doi.org/10.3390/su/6041670.   14pp.

Greenberg, M., and Schneider, D. (2024) Income Disparities and Risk: Geographical Manifestations of Extreme Income Disparities in the United States. Risk Analysis, https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.14349 .

Greenberg, M., Schneider, D., and Cox, AL. (2024). Opportunities and Challenges Associated with Using Publicly Available U.S Spatial Data Bases: A Tutorial. In final review, April 9, 2024.

All Publications: Stakeholder Engagement & Communication, 2006-2019 (pdf)

Highlighted Publications & Reports

CRESP Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

Mayer, H, Greenberg, M & Lowrie, K 2019, DOE-EM Mission, Metrics and Communications: Initial CRESP Report, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.

Greenberg, M, Apostolakis, G, Field, T, Goldstein, B, Kosson, D, Krahn, S, Matthews, R, Rispoli, J, Stewart, J & Stewart, R 2019, ‘Advancing Risk-Informed Decision Making in Managing Defense Nuclear Waste in the United States: Opportunities and Challenges for Risk Analysis’, Risk Analysis, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 375-388. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13135

Burger, J, Gochfeld, M, Kosson, DS, Brown, KG, Bliss, LS, Bunn, A, Clarke, JH, Mayer, HJ & Salisbury, JA 2019, ‘The costs of delaying remediation on human, ecological, and eco-cultural resources: Considerations for the Department of Energy: A methodological framework’, Science of The Total Environment, vol. 649, pp. 1054-1064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.232

Thorpe, C, Mann, C, Fisher, A, Hand, R, Hyatt, N, Riley, B, Schweiger, M, Mayer, J, Arendt, C, Kruger, A, Kosson, D & Corkhill, C 2018, ‘Evaluation of Novel Leaching Assessment for Nuclear Waste Glasses – 18314’, WM’2018, WM Symposia, Phoenix, Arizona. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/mrs-advances/article/evaluation-of-novel-leaching-assessment-of-nuclear-waste-glasses/5CCD854AE68F2EE7C9229451668EE33C

Greenberg, MR, Apostolakis, G, Fields, T, Goldstein, BD, Kosson, D, Krahn, S, Matthews, RB, Rispoli, J, Stewart, J & Stewart, R 2018, ‘Advancing Risk-Informed Decision Making in Managing Defense Nuclear Waste in the United States: Opportunities and Challenges for Risk Analysis: Managing Defense Nuclear Waste’, Risk Analysis, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. Medium: X; Size: p. 375-388. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13135

Greenberg, M & Schneider, D 2017, Urban Planning and Public Health, First edn, American Public Health Association. https://doi.org/10.2105/9780875532905

Greenberg, M, Mayer, H, Powers, C & D, K 2017, ‘Nuclear Waste Management and Nuclear Power: A Tale of Two Essential United States Department of Energy Sites in Idaho and New Mexico’, in Nuclear Portraits: Communities, the Environment, and Public Policy, First edn, University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division, Toronto, Canada, pp. 217-237. https://www.springer.com/us/book/9781447142300

Greenberg, M, Coon, M, Campo, M & Whytlaw, J 2017, Finding Locations for Endurably Objectionable Energy-Related Facilities: The CLAMP Policy, Charter 15, in The Routledge Research Companion to Energy Geographies, vol. 6, Taylor and Francis, p. 386

Omnibus Risk Review Committee & Greenberg, M, Chair 2015, A Review of the Use of Risk-Informed Management in the Cleanup Program for Former Defense Nuclear Sites, prepared for US Snate Committee on Appropriations and the US House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Vanderbilt Unviersity, Nashville TN. http://www.cresp.org/reviews-reports/omnibus/

Greenberg, M, Weiner, M, Mayer, H, Kosson, D & Powers, C 2014, ‘Sustainability as a Priority at Major U.S. Department of Energy’s Defense Sites: Surrounding Population Views’, Sustainability, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 2013-2030. http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/6/4/2013