Case study
San Onofre Community Engagement Panel: Creating Opportunities for Community Dialogue
In June 2013, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas and Electric, the City of Anaheim, and the City of Riverside announced their decision to decommission the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. As several aspects of the decommissioning process affect the surrounding communities, including the removal of spent fuel and environmental impacts of decommissioning, the decommissioning team formed a Community Engagement Panel of volunteer representatives from affected communities.i
This Community Engagement Panel meets quarterly and gives the affected communities the opportunity to engage in open dialogue with Southern California Edison. Members of this panel represent diverse groups, including elected officials, environmental NGOs, administrators from school districts, local Indigenous groups, and nuclear professionals.ii These meetings, all of which are open to the public, serve the dual purpose of informing the public about the decommissioning process and allowing for feedback, concerns, and questions from the public.
Issues of local concern addressed by the Community Engagement panel include storage of nuclear waste and radiation levels. Southern California Edison has responded to these concerns by making storage canisters more resistant to corrosion and providing real-time radiation level monitoring in their storage facilities. High levels of engagement from both the panel and Southern California Edison have been vital for building trust and giving community members a forum to frequently offer input on the decommissioning process.
