Brookhaven National Laboratory is seeking early public input as it plans its next major cleanup project - the decommissioning of the Brookhaven Graphite Research Reactor. This project will involve cleaning up and securing several buildings and structures and their surrounding soils. The activities involved in decommissioning are described in the article on page 5. The decommissioning project will span several years, with a target completion date of 2005.
The Laboratory operated the graphite reactor between 1950 and 1969. This reactor is described in more detail in the article on page 6.
Although the decommissioning project is still in its early stages, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Laboratory conducted a series of roundtable meetings to discuss the project with the community. The meetings, held on July 27, July 29 and August 3, were the first in a series of ongoing community involvement opportunities that are planned over the course of the project.
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| Community members at a roundtable meeting provide input on the graphite reactor decommissioning, while John Carter (DOE-Brookhaven Group) records their comments. |
About the roundtable meetings
The purpose of the roundtable meetings was to provide information about the decommissioning project and to obtain initial input on community values, expectations, and issues associated with the project. The project intends to address community values in the preliminary screening and analysis of decommissioning alternatives.
The roundtable sessions were designed as small group meetings to encourage interaction and discussion among the participants and the project team. The meetings included brief presentations, question and answer periods, and facilitated discussions.
Participants
Nearly 60 people from the community attended the roundtable sessions, not including the project staff or individuals from the Lab or DOE who are affiliated with the project.
Participants represented a broad spectrum of the community, including civic associations, environmental groups, regulatory agencies, elected officials, lab employees and contractors, businesses, students and educators, and the general public. Several members of the Community Advisory Council and the Brookhaven Executive Roundtable also attended. A breakdown of roundtable attendees by category is shown in the figure below.
Results of the roundtable meetings
During the roundtable meetings, community values and comments were recorded and organized into 10 categories. These categories covered a full range of factors that can influence decisions about decommissioning. All categories received a fair amount of interest and discussion, as shown in the figure below.
Many people offered values and suggestions regarding communication. Issues associated with environment, safety, and health were also key topics of discussion in all sessions.
Based on the input received, the project team drafted a set of overarching value statements that have been sent to participants for review and comment. When finalized, these values will be addressed in a Removal Action Alternatives Study. This study will screen and identify the range of decommissioning alternatives to be considered over the course of this project.
These value statements are intended to reflect the many individual comments, ideas, and recommendations recorded at the meetings. It is also important that they encompass the interests of the community at large. As a result, the project is seeking comments from the Community Advisory Council, the Brookhaven Executive Roundtable and other stakeholders.
The roundtable sessions received high marks from participants, who welcomed the opportunity for information exchange and dialog about this important cleanup project. Participants expressed a high level of satisfaction with the content and format of the meetings. They also indicated interest in ongoing participation, including a tour of the reactor facility and future roundtable meetings. Results of the evaluation forms are shown in the table below.
| Meeting facilities, locations, and times were appropriate | |
| Format of meeting was effective | |
| Presentations were clear and understandable | |
| Questions were addressed | |
| Time allotted was adequate | |
| Overall rating | |
A summary report on the roundtable meetings, which includes a copy of the draft value statements, is now available on the project website at http://www.bgrr.bnl.gov. The website also contains more information about the project and community involvement activities. BNL will be regularly updating this website to add more material about the decommissioning project.
Information is also available from Ken White in the Lab's Community Relations office at (516) 344-4423, email kwwhite@bnl.gov, or from John Carter, U.S. Department of Energy, at (516) 344-5195, email jcarter@bnl.gov.