Westinghouse is committed to supporting efforts that increase opportunities for residents and improve the quality of life in neighboring communities.
The Community Engagement Board (CEB) assembles community leaders to understand the operations, environmental and regulatory procedures associated with Westinghouse's Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility (CFFF) while sharing their concerns and goals for engagement.
The Community Engagement Board convenes quarterly, four (4) times a year or as requested by CFFF.
Responsibilities of the Board:
- Members are expected to share community issues or concerns with CFFF and communicate accurate information to stakeholders.
- Members are community liaisons and are expected to increase awareness of information, resources, initiatives, and partnerships among their stakeholders.
The Board has no expressed, implied power or authority over Westinghouse operations.
The Community Engagement Board is comprised of a diverse cross-section of local and regional leaders within education, government, business, public safety, the environment, and community organizations. Members are appointed by Westinghouse and serve at their discretion. Board members must reside, work, or possess a specific interest in the community, organization, or stakeholders they represent. Members serve in a voluntary capacity.
Community Engagement Board (CEB) Members Affiliation's:
- Columbia Chamber of Commerce
- Governor's Nuclear Advisory Council (GNAC)
- Prisma Health Midlands Foundation
- Richland County Council
- Richland County Sheriff's Office
- Richland One School District
- SC State Chapter of the NAACP (SCNAACP)
- South Carolina Department of Health & Environment Control (SCDHEC)
- South Carolina State University (SCSU)
- University of South Carolina (USC)
Community Engagement Board (CEB) Meeting Summary
Meetings are held each quarter. Meeting summary will be provided for each meeting.
2022 Meetings:
- 1st Quarter Meeting - meeting was postponed to the 2nd Quarter due to scheduling conflicts
- 2nd Quarter Meeting Summary - Monday, April 25th
Safety & Environmental Updates
- Perchloroethylene (PCE) Status
- We are in the process of purchasing equipment needed to remove PCE from the 500+ drums to allow incineration. Once the equipment is installed, CFFF has one year to process the drums.
- NRC alternate disposal (ADR#4)
- Approval was received on March 4th which allows waste disposal at an approved disposal site throughout the Consent Agreement, including sanitary lagoon sludge and shipment of the remaining 50 UF6 cylinders.
- DHEC Consent Agreement (CA) actions are on track
- The next step of the CA is the submittal of the Remedial Investigation (RI) report which is approximately 55% complete.
- Semi-annual sampling of CFFF’s 118 groundwater wells was completed in April/May.
- A campaign was completed to repackage the 14 remaining bags containing cut UF6 cylinders. The material was double bagged and loaded onto 2 new trailers for shipment to USE-Idaho on April 7th.
- CFFF COVID Update
- Based on continued declining trend, we transitioned to Phase 3, normal operation on May 1st and eliminated the mandatory requirement wearing of masks. Employees can still wear masks if they so choose.
CFFF EIS & License Renewal Update
- The NRC Division Director of Fuel Management and the Licensing Branch Chief visited CFFF on March 24th to discuss CFFF performance, environmental risk reduction & license renewal; these managers have primary licensing authority.
- NRC informed CFFF of a 6–8-week extension in the schedule to allow thorough response to stakeholder comments on the draft EIS. The publication of the final EIS is scheduled to be issued in July and the Licensing Decision and the Record of Decision is scheduled to be issued in August.
- The Cultural Resource Survey report has been revised to incorporate SHPO comments; No significant resources were identified at CFFF, (see the NRC section for SHPO reports).
Discussed Community Outreach
2023 Meetings
- 1st Quarter Meeting - Tuesday, March 21st
- Updated the committee on the following:
- CFFF License Renewed until 2062
- Westinghouse being sold to Brookfield Renewable and Cameco
- CFFF plant has a new manager.
- Discussed community outreach.
Held open forum Q&A with committee members.
Please see the Westinghouse in the Community section for community outreach/engagement updates