Low-Level Waste Seminar

By Al Brooks

The SSAB LLW Seminar held in Las Vegas was a success. There was excellent rapport between participants from about 10 sites as well as between the DOE staff present. The NTS CAB is to be congratulated. There is a lot of commonality between sites. The following are brief preliminary personal comments:

Transportation was the most important issue as rated by participants.
Environmental, Equity, and Economic issues were close runner-ups.
Of the 17 issues, only about 2 were rated low, and even these were debated.
The CABs will be asked to do more work on these topics so they can go to headquarters en masse.
DOE-HQ seems anxious to get more public input. Methods were discussed including a "Super CAB," better direction of public comments to the appropriate DOE office/person and even the inclusion of DOE-EM on the server.
There was a lot more.

A complete official report ... as well as some follow-on work for the CABs:

This is the first such meeting I thought was a real success. I believe the interchanges between participants including DOE were informative and excellent. I was impressed by the DOE participants' excellence in listening and lack of any attempt to "dominate," yet supplying information and insight when appropriate. It is not always thus.
The displays were worthwhile as information sources but also as a focal point promoting for informal interchange. I suggest that future displays be "personned" during all breaks and supplied with chairs to promote discussion.
I was impressed by the degree of expertise shown by the participants. This is in contrast to many prior meetings and made a huge difference in accomplishments.
The commonality of site problems and the common sense of urgency was notable. I believe the sites, though different in detail, have much in common especially in their relationship to DOE-HQ. This was shown in the ratings of the Issues (barriers) and Suggestions.
DOE-HQ, at some level, seems ready to accept stakeholder input, but the outcome of the meeting will depend upon prompt and constructive work by the site SSABs (or CABs) and other stakeholders. We must formulate an action plan on these and other items, and take consistent and coordinated actions.
There will have to be a high, continuing communication between stakeholders at the formal and informal level. The LOC e-mail server should help support the informal level, but the post-meeting sign-up is not impressive. On a percentage basis, DOE is the contest winner. I consider the DOE participation to be a real plus in opening informal communications with DOE-HQ and urge participants to "tell it like it is" (politely).

Other reports

Ken Greer
Susan Kaplan
Fay Martin

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