Never before has the resistance to new and existing power plants seemed so universal. The "Not-in-My-Backyard" (NIMBY) phenomenon seems to be setting the utility agenda for the 1990s and beyond. Ultimately, new plants and waste repositories will be needed, if only because old plants will have to be replaced. Someone will have to build these plants near somebody's backyard. The key to curing the NIMBY syndrome lies in building communities' confidence in utilities and independent power producers. Communities' trust can be earned by involving them more in the decisions that utilities make. Companies must find allies in the political, scientific, and medical communities. Independently, these allies can help a skeptical public to objectively weigh risks and rewards. Business and government must do a better job of pointing out the benefits of power facilities to all communities and ask them to shoulder their fair share. Openness and accountability are essential.