EM, Agencies From U.S., U.K., and Canada Focus on Stakeholder Engagement

EM joined other government organizations from the U.S., U.K., and Canada last week for a virtual exchange focused on lessons learned and best practices for stakeholder engagement.

“The shared experience across our programs shows that stakeholder engagement is central to decision-making during the cleanup process,” EM Acting Director for Regulatory Intergovernmental & Stakeholder Engagement Kristen Ellis said. “Effective communication with stakeholders and regulators is key to a successful implementation of the EM program.”

Senior public affairs officials and stakeholder engagement experts from EM headquarters and field sites, the U.K. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) took part in the Oct. 20 meeting.

Participants learned about stakeholders from the U.S., U.K., and Canada and the role they play in advancing cleanup missions. They also discussed stakeholder engagement challenges and opportunities, and shared lessons learned to improve engagement with members of the public. Meeting participants will continue working together to exchange best practices in coming months.

The exchange resulted from the Statement of Intent (SOI) for Exchange of Information Concerning Management of Radioactive Waste signed by EM, NDA, and AECL in March last year.

Representatives from EM, NDA, and AECL have held collaborative activities under the SOI focused on advancing sustainability goals and providing expertise in project peer reviews.

They also took part in a virtual workshop on in situ decommissioning. That term has historically been equated with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) term “entombment,” which in IAEA’s safety requirements and guides is considered an approach to decommissioning that is to be used only in “exceptional circumstances.” However, the term ISD is used colloquially by different countries to describe a range of acceptable and protective decommissioning end states.