Abstract. The introduction of the Site Selection Act
(Standortauswahlgesetz, StandAG) marked the initiation
of a new repository site-selection process as well as the elimination of
injustices of past procedures. In this context, the white map of
Germany served as a basis for and symbol of an unbiased search process
(Hocke and Smeddinck, 2017). However, the publication of the Sub-Areas
Interim Report has revealed injustices in the handling of high-level
radioactive waste. For example, there is criticism that the methods
used to determine the sub-areas are immature or scientifically
dubious. There are still fears that rural areas with a low population
density will be favored, that there are imbalances in the
site-selection process between West and East Germany, or that
the discrepancy in the sense of fairness between regions that drop out
of the process and those that remain will lead to problems in
subsequent stages of the process. All of these positions show that there is inherent injustice in the
search for a repository site: at the end of the site-selection
process, a single site will receive all the high-level radioactive
waste of the Federal Republic of Germany and thus bear the potential
risks. People at this one site will live with the uncertainties
associated with dealing with high-level radioactive waste. While the
debate about geological or technical factors and challenges is
multifaceted and specialized, the issue of fairness in the
site-selection process is rarely addressed. However, fairness is
immensely important to find
a socially acceptable repository site. This paper thus focuses on the
following questions: What are the prevailing notions of justice among
those involved in the repository site-selection process? From the
perspective of the involved parties, what characterizes fairness in
the site-selection process? Answering these questions should contribute to a better understanding
of whether the repository site-selection process is perceived as just,
and what this depends on. Starting from Rawls' theoretical perspective of
justice (2005 [1971]) and Latour's contribution of the values of modern
people (2014), an empirical understanding of the stakeholders'
perception and understanding of justice in the site-selection process
is synthesized. In the context of this work, results of an empirical
survey comparing different aspects of justice, e.g., procedural,
distributive, intergenerational, and interpersonal, but also justice
as recognition, are presented and related to adjacent factors, such as
trust, emotions, or experiences. The empirical survey is intended to
provide information on whether the perception of justice is more
strongly dependent on the process, on one's own affectedness, or on
adjacent factors.
Status of Deep Borehole Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste in Germany
