The Savannah River Citizens Advisory Board says poor communication from the Department of Energy is threatening to “erode public trust,” and passed two recommendations this week that aim to improve the lines of information from DOE. Instead of sharing information with the CAB at bimonthly meetings or when it became available, several important developments did not come to the CAB’s attention until published in the media. “In order for the Citizens Advisory Board to be able to provide meaningful input and meaningful written recommendations to the Department of Energy, its members need to be informed of situations at the Site in a timely manner,” the recommendation states. “The failure of the Department to do such is threatening to erode public trust and hampering the effectiveness of the Board. The Department’s lawful commitment to transparency requires a more forthright approach.”
A second recommendation focuses on providing clearer information on annual updates to Savannah River’s liquid waste system plan. The presentations on the plan “have not consistently shown the same figures, tables, schematics or bullet lists to communicate the Liquid Waste Program and the ‘Liquid Waste System Plan’ or its revisions. In addition, the presentations have included numerous acronyms. When such a complicated presentation is given without previous discussions or copies in advance, the public is not well served,” the presentation states. It adds: “A better process needs to be initiated to inform the Board and the public at large about the Liquid Waste Program and the Liquid Waste System Plan (and its revisions), the progress that is projected for the future, and the consequences of missed milestones.”
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