Our
last public meeting at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center on June
18 drew more than 500 people, not all of whom could be accommodated in
this venue. At that meeting, members of the NRC’s Augmented Inspection
Team presented the preliminary findings of a comprehensive inspection
conducted after several steam generator tubes failed pressure testing in
February.
Technically,
that was what the NRC calls a Category 1 meeting, held with Southern
California Edison Co. After the business portion of the meeting was
completed, NRC staff and Edison officials responded to members of the
public who were given an opportunity to ask questions about the
inspection and related steam generator issues.
Interest
in the agency’s response to the steam generator problems at San Onofre
is extremely high. Immediately following the June 18 meeting, planning
began for another meeting that would allow members of the public to meet
directly with NRC staff to voice their concerns on a broader range of
topics.
Another
meeting was planned for August 8, with a similar venue as the June 18
meeting. As the final contracts were being signed, a large response from
many members of the public asked for a much larger venue, capable of
seating more than 1,000 attendees, with live web streaming for remote
viewing and participation. In order to accommodate this we cancelled the
August 8 meeting and began a search for a larger facility.
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Anticipating
a larger turnout, we also considered what kind of format would work
best for such a large group. Instead of holding a Category 3 Town Hall
meeting, where NRC staff would meet directly with the public, Region IV
Administrator Elmo Collins proposed a meeting format designed to create
an opportunity to hear from a wide range of perspectives. The meeting
will include a facilitated roundtable
discussion on topics of significant public interest.
We’ve
chosen two experienced facilitators to ensure that the meeting is both
informative and responsive to the public’s interests. The format we
chose will provide community members with an opportunity to get answers
to many of their questions and air their concerns. This format was
selected in consultation with San Clemente Green and the San
Clemente-based Residents Organized for a Safe Environment,
For
the past three months, Region IV staff has been trying to find a venue
large enough to accommodate such a potentially large group. After much
effort we have been able to find a facility that meets all of our needs:
The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, Calif. The two-part
meeting on October 9 will run from 6 to 9:30 p.m. The first part of the
meeting will be a roundtable discussion with observation by members of
the public, followed by a question and answer session between the NRC
staff and the public. The hotel does charge a nominal parking fee, so
attendees are encouraged to car pool.
Details about the meeting and how to see it via webstreaming will soon be available on our
Public Meeting page.
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