The creation of a natural gas storage facility by nuclear explosives has been examined from a cost-benefit standpoint. Monetary equivalent estimates were made for the inconvenience, both physical and psychic, caused by ground shock from the detonations and for biological effects of statistically expected radiation exposures. Benefit-risk ratios were calculated for three groups; the industrial sponsor, society as a whole, and the social group residing within the range of the physical awareness of ground shock. For the industrial sponsor the benefit-cost ratio, depending upon his tax situation, falls between 1.7 and 2.9. For the larger societal group, the benefit-risk ratio is found to be 30 to 60. For the nearby population, who bear most of the risks, this ratio is estimated to be about 6. However, if the local group perceives this ratio to be lower, opposition to the project may develop, thereby affecting the economic benefit-cost ratio for the industrial sponsor. The industrial sponsor may attempt to increase the perceived benefit-risk ratio by providing additional real benefits or by an informational-educational program designed to make perceived risks comparable to real risks.