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Abstract
This article analyses the factors that contributed to the political framing of the nuclear waste issue in France. The sudden appearance on the political scene of this issue, addressed behind closed doors and in specialised arenas until the 1990s, generated numerous public debates, parliamentary reports and finally a law. The author critically analyses certain agenda‐building theories and then shows that this process of political framing can be comprehended only in relation to the technical problematisation of the issue and the history of the institutions traditionally in charge of it. The orientation towards a political treatment of the problem resulted primarily, albeit partially, from the narrowing down of the technical options for addressing it. Without technical alternatives, the political authorities appeared to be the only way of solving conflicts generated by France’s nuclear waste policy.
Notes
1. Celeri, J.‐J., J.M. Lavie, J. Lefèvre, and Y. Sousselier. 1983. Les aspects industriels de la gestion des déchets radioactifs. Annales des mines 2/3, February–March (p. 126).
2. Lavie, J.‐M. 1983. Présentation générale: déchets à vie courte ou à vie longue. Que faire des déchets radioactifs? Journées scientifiques à l’École des mines de Paris, June 10–11 (p. 99).
3. This is clearly illustrated, for instance, by this account by a former head of radioactive waste management at the CEA, recorded during an interview: ‘The public wants to be faced with people who say “we can guarantee you, we’re sure”, which is not a scientific attitude; and I’m really convinced that at that time a politician was the right spokesperson. First, they know how to talk, they’ve got the experience … and I don’t want to focus on the manoeuvring side of things, but it’s true that they know how to go about it. They know how to get messages across’.
4. Guillaume, H., R. Pellat, and P. Rouvillois. 1989. Rapport sur le bilan et les perspectives du secteur nucléaire civil en France. Paris: Ministère de l’industrie et de l’aménagement du territoire/Ministère de la recherche et de la technologie (p. 93).