Engagement Panel News
Stay connected with what’s happening with the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel.
The Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel (DCDEP) will hold a virtual public meeting on Wednesday, May 26, at 6:00pm. The meeting will be held via Zoom and the group is slated to discuss spent nuclear fuel management, PG&E’s application to obtain a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) – which is required to perform decommissioning activities in a coastal zone, and receive an update on decommissioning planning. The meeting will also include introductions of two new panel members.
Dr. Peter Lam, Administrative Judge Emeritus of the U.S. Nuclear regulatory Commission and member of the Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee, will participate in the discussion on spent fuel management.
PG&E representatives will give an overview of the CDP application submitted to the County of San Luis Obispo on March 24. SLO County representatives will also discuss the CDP application and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process that are required for the decommissioning of Diablo Canyon.
The meeting enables members of the public to directly submit questions to the Panel and offer live public comment and input on decommissioning planning, including future plans for the DCPP site and surrounding lands. In addition to the live webinar, the meeting will be broadcast on SLOSPAN and local access Channel 21.
The two, new appointees – William “Bill” Almas and Mariam Shah – fill roles previously held by Lauren Brown and Alex Karlin. Almas and Shah are set to begin their terms in May of 2021. David M. Baldwin and Dena Bellman have been reappointed.
Background of Mariam Shah
Mariam has served two terms as councilmember on the Grover Beach City Council, served on the executive committees of the Homeless Services Oversight Committee, the Air Pollution Control District and the CA League of Cities. She also sits on the board of the Grover Beach Library, the Five Cities Homeless Coalition and has been active with the Grover Heights PTA for several years, serving 3 years as president.
Background of Bill Almas
Bill retired from Chevron as a Senior Real Estate Manager in 2015. He held various positions with Chevron and Unocal including Environmental and Regulatory Manager, Manager of Government Affairs, Area Manager and Environmental and Regulatory Manager for Molycorp, a subsidiary of Unocal. He was the lead for Unocal property purchase and settlements associated with the Avila Beach remediation and managed the preparation of the San Luis Obispo Chevron Tank Farm Environmental Impact Report and various property sales.
DCDEP members will now include:
- William Almas, San Luis Obispo (new appointment beginning May 2021)
- Mariam Shah, Arroyo Grande (new appointment beginning May 2021)
- David M. Baldwin, Atascadero (reappointed)
- Dena Bellman, Pismo Beach (reappointed)
- Dr. Timothy Auran, Avila Beach area
- Sherri Danoff, Avila Beach
- Scott Lathrop, San Luis Obispo
- Patrick Lemieux, Morro Bay
- Charlene Rosales, San Luis Obispo
- Linda Seeley, Los Osos
- Kara Woodruff, San Luis Obispo
- Chuck Anders, (Facilitator)
- Trevor Keith, San Luis Obispo County (Ex Officio)
- Maureen Zawalick, San Luis Obispo (PG&E)
As part of a highly competitive process, currently seated panel members and PG&E representatives conducted in-depth reviews of more than 65 applications from community members, who broadly reflect the diverse community viewpoints in proximity to DCPP. The selection committee praised the quality and qualifications of those who applied. “On behalf of the panel, we sincerely appreciate the time and effort put forth by each candidate to apply, and we’re thrilled that so many experienced and talented community leaders offered to be a part of this important process. We welcome these new members and feel confident the diverse composition of the panel will enable the group to capture the community’s collective vision related to the future decommissioning of Diablo Canyon,” panel facilitator Chuck Anders said.
On March 29, 2021, PG&E submitted a land use application with the County of San Luis Obispo for a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) and Conditional Use Permit (CUP). A separate CDP application will be filed with the California Coastal Commission in about a year. These permits are required by the Coastal Act of California; any demolition, construction, replacement or changes to the size of a structure in a coastal zone requires a permit.
The land use application package includes a detailed Project Description, an Environmental Impact Assessment, Alternatives Analysis, and several technical reports to support the application and to assist the County and the consultant it retains in preparation of an Environmental Impact Report pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act. The application submission reflects input from the community through the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel’s Strategic Vision. This effort is consistent with the intent to swiftly begin decommissioning efforts at the expiration of the operating licenses in 2024 and 2025.
REACH announced the formation of a partnership of elected officials, labor, education and advocacy groups to drive action and protect community interests on the future use of Parcel P at Diablo Canyon. (See media release.)
The yak tityu tityu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region, The Land Conservancy, and Cal Poly sign an agreement to partner to protect Diablo Canyon Lands. (See media release.)
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) officially extends their deadline to issue a ruling on the Diablo Canyon 2018 Nuclear Decommissioning Cost Triennial Proceeding (NDCTP) to September 13, 2021. (See CPUC order.)
The Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel meeting to review the anticipated CPUC ruling, which was previously extended from December 13, 2020 to March 13, 2021 will be postponed until after the CPUC issues its ruling. The DCDEP will hold a public meeting to receive information on the CPUC ruling and discuss the implications on decommissioning within 10 days of the issuance of the preliminary ruling.
New members are being sought to join the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel consisting of 11 public members who have been providing community input to PG&E since 2018 on ongoing decommissioning planning activities. There are three positions open for appointment or reappointment and the 30-day application period runs through March 13.
The NRC will host an online meeting to discuss the Diablo Canyon ISFSI License Renewal Application on January 26, 2021 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Pacific Time).
The current license for the Diablo Canyon (DC) Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) expires in March 2024. Because the DC ISFSI is a site-specific license, NRC regulations require a license renewal application to be submitted at least two-years prior the expiration date. PG&E is planning to submit a license renewal application for the DC ISFSI in the fourth quarter of 2021. It is a common practice to hold a public presubmittal meeting with the NRC to notify them of the intent to submit a license renewal application.
The public is invited to observe this meeting and will have one or more opportunities to communicate with the NRC after the business portion of the meeting, but before the meeting is adjourned.
Because this is a virtual meeting, the NRC requests that you inform the NRC’s meeting contact of your intention to attend (either in person or by telephone) by January 22, 2021.
The Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel announced the following public meeting schedule for 2021. The Public Panel meetings are held from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM and will take place online until such time that in-person meetings can be held safely under the California COVID-19 guidance.
- 1st Quarter, 2021 (within 2-weeks of CPUC ruling on the 2018 NDCTP) – 2018 NDCTP CPUC Ruling and Implications / Decommissioning Regulatory Process and Planning Update
- May 26, 2021 – Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage and Management Update
- August 11, 2021 – Facility Repurposing and Lands Update
- November 3, 2021- Strategic Vision Update / Project Application and the CEQA Process
