Regular Meeting on Dismantlement Overview and Environmental Stewardship

Key Takeaways

The SONGS Community Engagement Panel (CEP) received an update on the federal landscape for offsite storage of spent nuclear fuel, including the need for increased focus and organization.

Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) highlighted the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Dec. 1 announcement of an effort related to consent-based siting of a federal consolidated interim storage facility and he explained the purpose of his spent nuclear fuel caucus in Congress: to pursue bi-partisan solutions. The CEP heard an update on the Action for Spent Fuel Solutions Now coalition that is advocating for solutions.

CEP members discussed plans to invite a DOE representative to serve as a guest speaker in January or February in order to discuss the Department’s efforts regarding consent-based siting for spent fuel storage facilities.

The SONGS team provided a briefing on the dismantlement project to date which included the importance of safety in constantly changing conditions as the plant is dismantled. Vince Bilovsky, decommissioning director, provided examples of how workers are using human performance tools and lessons learned to ensure all work is performed safely. SONGS Decommissioning Solutions, SCE’s decommissioning contractor, recently marked 2 million hours worked without a lost-time accident.

The CEP received a briefing on environmental stewardship in the context of radiological site surveys and clean-up. Such work is underway and will continue throughout the decommissioning process for the eventual termination of the SONGS license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It’s a long process and won’t be fully complete until the spent nuclear fuel is relocated from the site many years from now.

SONGS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PANEL VIRTUAL MEETING INSTRUCTIONS

The Dec. 2 Community Engagement Panel (CEP) meeting will be conducted via Microsoft Teams as Southern California Edison and CEP members work to reduce COVID-19 exposure through actions that align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations on physical distancing.

Members of the public will be able to listen and watch the meeting, as well as participate in a public comment period.

Instructions for joining the meeting are posted under Meeting Materials at right.

Instructions for submitting comments before or during the meeting, and signing up for public comment will be posted soon.

How to Join the Meeting

How to submit comments:

To submit comments in advance of a CEP meeting use the email address provided: nuccomm@songs.sce.com

• Comments submitted in advance of the meeting and related to agenda topics will be—to the greatest extent possible—addressed in the presentation and/or discussed during facilitated public dialogue
• Comments must be received 2 days prior to the meeting date to be addressed during the meeting or a response will be sent via e-mail following the meeting
• NUCCOMM comments related to agenda topics will be addressed first followed by comments during the public comment period.

To submit comments during a CEP meeting, use the link provided: CEP Comment Form

• Comments will be added to the queue in order of receipt.
• Comments related to the meeting agenda topics—to the greatest extent possible—will be addressed / discussed during facilitated public dialogue

How to sign up to speak during a CEP meeting public comment period

• To sign up to speak, complete the CEP Comment Form
• The CEP Chairman will call on individuals by name one at a time to speak and the Microsoft Teams microphone will be opened for that individual

Each person requesting to speak will have three minutes to provide their comments.