Table of Contents
Action Items
Action
Item
| Fully integrate Federal
Facilities Environmental Restoration Dialogue
Committee (FFERDC) environmental justice principles
into the decision-making at Federal Facility
cleanups. |
The Federal Facilities Environmental Restoration Dialogue
Committee (FFERDC) is a legally constituted committee under
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The Committee,
which includes 50 representatives of Federal, State, Tribal,
and local agencies and of environmental, community, and labor
organizations, develops consensus policy recommendations for
improving decision-making at Federal facilities. Initiated
and coordinated by EPA, the FFERDC is a leading body for
involving stakeholders in developing national policy toward
the cleanup of Federal facilities.
In January 1995, the FFERDC added five environmental
justice representatives from diverse communities including
African-Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, and Alaskan
natives. Key issues under consideration by the FFERDC include
ensuring environmental justice concerns are taken into
account when prioritizing Federal facility cleanups,
including representatives from disadvantaged communities on
community advisory boards, and improving minority and small
business contracting at Federal facility cleanups. The FFERDC
released a final report with recommendations aimed at
improving the process of making decisions and setting
priorities for cleanup efforts at Federal facilities.
| 8/95 |
Released fourteen principles for
environmental cleanup of Federal facilities.
Principle number three addressed environmental
justice. |
| 11/95 |
NEJAC recommended the establishment
of expanded dialogue with other Federal agencies
about the overlap between the Brownfields Initiative
and the Base Realignment and Closure Program. |
| 2/96 |
EPA convened a meeting to discuss
Brownfields/Federal Facilities issues. |
| 4/96 |
Final Report of the Federal
Facilities Environmental Restoration Dialogue
Committee issued. |
| 5/96 |
EPA created a Federal Facilities
Home Page for the World Wide Web (contact Sheila
Kelley, (202) 260-2656). |
| Marsha Minter |
(202) 260-6626 |
Region 5 is collecting demographic data and preparing GIS
maps for five federal facilities in the Region. These maps
provide information on potential environmental justice at the
facilities and are used by EPA RPMs, Federal Facilty RPMs,
state RPMs, and facility commanders. Once the maps are
completed, the Region will send them to Federal facilities
with a letter of explanation.
Region 5 also formed RABs at all 12 bases that are closing
in the Region, making concerted efforts to recruit
representatives from affected groups. The EPA RPMs assigned
to the bases will have environmental justice training and
will monitor all closure activities for environmental justice
concerns.
Completed
Milestones
| 3/94 |
Restoration Advisory Board (RAB)
formed |
| 12/94 |
Initiated collection of demographic
data |
| 3/95 |
Completed EJ workshop for RPMs |
| 6/95 |
EJ screening maps completed for 5
selected Federal facilities |
| 2/96 |
Initiated collection of demographic
data for all NPL Federal facilities and closing BRAC
bases. |
Contact
| Ken Tindall |
(312) 886-9895 |
| Provide information on and
sensitize Federal agencies to environmental justice
concerns related to base closures and other
high-priority Federal facility sites. |
Restoration Advisory Boards
EPA's environmental justice support to other Federal
agencies helps the agencies focus their public outreach
efforts to more equitably serve their communities. EPA and
the Department of Defense (DOD) issued joint guidelines on
establishing Restoration Advisory Boards (RABs) on September
27, 1994. When environmental restoration is planned for a
military installation, RABs provide a framework for
partnership among the installation, the regulatory agencies,
communities, and other stakeholders to result in a more
efficient, cost-effective, and focused approach to the
restoration. The guidance directed EPA Regional programs to
work with their military service counterparts to ensure that
input from all stakeholders is considered when decisions
related to the cleanup are made, thus increasing the
acceptability of government decisions and reducing conflict.
DOD policy requires RABs to be established at all closing
installations and at non-closing installations where the
local community expresses interest. As of January 1996,
approximately 200 RABs had been established. RABs bring
together people who reflect the diverse interests within the
local community, enabling the early and continued flow of
information among the affected community. In addition, EPA
has piloted advisory boards at 10 non-Federal facility NPL
sites. EPA participates in RAB meetings and ensures that
environmental justice issues are addressed. Through its
Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program, EPA provides funds
to community groups to promote more effective community
involvement. As of November 1995, TAGs had been awarded at 29
Federal facilities.
Site-Specific Advisory Boards
EPA is also working with the Department of Energy (DOE) to
establish Site-Specific Advisory Boards (SSAB) at all major
DOE facilities. Similar to the DOD RABs, SSABs provide a
mechanism for stakeholder involvement in the cleanup
decision-making process. SSAB members represent residents who
live at or near the site; local government, citizen, and
environmental groups; workers involved in or affected by the
cleanup; affected Indian Tribes; and Federal and State
agencies. Final guidance was issued in January 1996.
Currently, there are SSABs operating at 11 DOE sites.
| Marsha Minter |
(202) 260-6626 |
As new sites are listed on the NPL or BRAC sites
designated as such, Region 3 sends GIS generated maps of the
facilities and the communities within a three-mile radius to
the facilities. The maps are color coded to show minority and
low-income populations within these areas. The maps are
provided to facility commanders asking them to consider these
communities when making decisions which may impact those
populations.
Most of the facilities continue to advertise the
opportunity to join Restoration Advisory Boards (RABs) in
local newspapers and newsletters in the various surrounding
communities. These RABs are active in the decision-making
process at the various installations. They receive frequent
updates and reports on planned environmental activities which
may affect them, either directly or indirectly.
Region 3 generated similar GIS maps for the BRAC IV sites.
Four sites are included (Letterkenny Army Depot, Ft. Pickett,
Ft. Richie, and White Oak Naval Surface Warfare Center). They
will be sent to base commanders, similar to the previous
maps. The facilities will be requested to work with and
include these populations in their decision-making process.
| Ben Mykijewycz |
(215) 566-3351 |
The Region 4 Federal Facilities Branch (FFB) continues to
provide outreach and education to Department of Defense (DOD)
installations on community involvement and environmental
justice. The FFB Region 4 Community Relations Coordinator
(CRC) evaluates community relations plans to ensure that
environmental justice issues are addressed. Region 4's
contribution has included daily external office support to
citizens boards, including significant use of technical
staff, such as Remedial Project Managers (RPMs) and program
managers. EPA's commitment in this area increases the
opportunity for improvement in environmental justice areas.
The CRC and RPMs review Restoration Advisory Board (RAB)
charters and encourage community outreach activities at
Federal facilities installations. In addition, all major Base
Realignment and Closure and non-NPL installations in the
Region have established RABs. The FFB Region 4 DOD
installations have established 23 RABs, and DOE installations
have established Site-Specific Advisory Boards (SSABs) that,
like RABs, place emphasis on environmental justice and
stakeholder involvement in the cleanup decision-making
process. EPA has championed the inclusion of minority and
other under-represented local constituencies on each RAB.
The FFB Region 4 BRAC team provided training to 6
communities on environmental issues affecting them. The
training topics included the Superfund process, technologies,
community involvement, and understanding acronyms. The FFB
Region 4 CRC has provided training to 7 communities and RABs
and SSABs on environmental issues, the Superfund process, and
communication tools to improve community involvement.
Additional training was provided to RPMs on risk
communication, community Involvement at Federal facilities,
and environmental justice.
The FFB Region 4 established a protocol for the Federal
Facilities Branch to incorporate environmental justice in all
decisions. This protocol will be used as a tool for
determining how Federal facilities can address environmental
justice in their activities.
Region 4 hired two minority interns through the
Environmental Careers Organization to work in the Federal
Facilities Branch. One of the interns worked with
environmental justice and the other community relations
support at DOE sites. The other intern provided
administrative and tracking support. In addition, region 4
and DOE have arranged to co-sponsor a minority intern to work
on issues associated with the DOE Savannah River Site (SRS).
The position was advertised in communities near SRS with
people of color and those which are potentially affected by
SRS.
| 8/96 |
Provided information to all Region 4
Federal facility RABs and SSABs, 3 community groups,
and other interested parties on environmental
justice. |
| 8/96 |
Drafted the Region 4 Federal
Facilities Environmental Justice Protocol. |
| 10/96 |
Conducted two Environmental Justice
Workshops with Clark Atlanta University (Charleston
Navy Base and Anniston Army Depot). |
| 11/96 |
Internship program expired. |
| Camilla Warren |
(404) 562-8519; (404) 562-8518 (fax)
|
Region 5 is collected demographic data and prepared GIS
maps for all base closure and NPL Federal facilities in the
Region. These maps provide information on potential
environmental justice issues at the facilities and are not
used by EPA RPMs, Federal Facility RPMs, state RPMs, and
facility commanders.
Region 5 also formed RABs at all 12 bases that are closing
in the Region, making concerted efforts to recruit
representatives from affected groups. The EPA RPMs assigned
to the closing bases have had environmental justice training
and will monitor all closure activities for environmental
justice concerns.
| 3/94 |
Formed RABs. |
| 12/94 |
Initiated the collection of
demographic data. |
| 3/95 |
Completed EJ workshop for RPMs |
| 6/95 |
EJ screening maps completed for 5
selected Federal facilities |
| 2/96 |
Initiated collection of demographic
data for all NPL Federal facilities and closing BRAC
bases. |
| Ken Tindall |
(312) 886-9895 |
Action Item:
Incorporate EJ issues into the Federal Facilities Environmental Dialogue Committee
(FFERDC) recommendations for improving decision-making at Federal
facilities cleanups.
Region 6 is using the Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
and the 1990 Census data to identify installations with
environmental justice concerns for those facilities
designated for closure or realignment under the Base Closure
and Realignment Acts (BRAC) of 1988 and 1990. The Region is
involved in environmental justice community outreach programs
at these BRAC sites through participation on the Restoration
Advisory Boards (RABs), which have been established at each
of the BRAC bases in Region 6: Bergstrom Air Force Base,
Eaker Air Force Base, England Air Force Base, Dallas Naval
Air Station, Fort Chaffee, Fort Wingate, Kelly Air Force
Base, Red River Army Depot, and Reese Air Force Base.
| 4/94 |
England Air Force Base RAB
established. |
| 5/94 |
Bergstrom Air Force base RAB
established. |
| 6/94 |
Completed GIS and identified
demographics. |
| 7/94 |
Eaker Air Force Base RAB
established. |
| 7/94 |
Dallas Naval Air Station RAB
established. |
| 8/94 |
Fort Wingate RAB established. |
| 12/94 |
Kelly Air Force base RAB
established. |
| 12/94 |
Reese Air Force Base RAB
established. |
| 3/96 |
Fort Chaffee RAB established. |
| 5/96 |
Red River Army Depot RAB
established. |
| Michael Overbay |
(214) 665-6482 (Bergstrom Air Force
Base) |
| Sing Chia |
(214) 665-8301 (Dallas Naval Air
Station) |
| Henry Onsgard |
(214) 665-2221 (Eaker Air Force
Base) |
| Bobby Williams |
(214) 665-6719 (England Air Force
Base) |
| Richard Ehrhart |
(214) 665-6765 (Kelly Air Force
Base) |
| Camille Hueni |
(214) 665-2231 (Kelly Air Force
Base) |
| Charles Hendrickson |
(214) 665-2196 (Fort Wingate) |
| Lisa Price |
(214) 665-6744 (Red River Army
Depot; Fort Chaffee) |
| Gary Miller |
(214) 665-8306 (Reese Air Force
Base) |
Region 7 has established Community Advisory Groups (CAGs)
involving a wide range of stakeholders at several Federal
facility or Federal-lead projects. These facilities include
two DOE projects, the Weldon Spring Quarry and the St. Louis
Airport sites, and the Hastings Ground Water Contamination
site. The Region participated in the joint EPA/DOD RAB
workshops designed to assist installations and regulatory
agencies in implementing enhanced community involvement at
DOD facilities.
The Regional Environmental Justice Task Force members have
gathered information from Federal facility site managers to
identify sites with potential environmental justice concerns.
The indication is that environmental justice issues are not
associated with most Superfund Federal sites and base closure
sites in the Region. The notable exceptions are DOE's
Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP)
sites located within the urban core of the St. Louis
metropolitan area.
An EPA/DOE joint community outreach effort has resulted in
the establishment of a CAG to make decisions on St. Louis
FUSRAP sites. Participating stakeholders include several
members of the area's congressional delegation, State and
local officials, community activists, and business and
property owners. At the Weldon Spring Quarry site, the
selection board for the CAG completed the selection process
and announced its members during the week of January 23,
1995. The St. Louis FUSRAP CAG, called the St. Louis Site
Remediation Task Force, issued its final report and
recommendation in September 1996. The DOE is expected to
respond with a proposal in Spring 1997. EPA will seek to
assure community recommendations are considered.
| 5/94 |
Participated in RAB workshops. |
| 9/94 |
Selected candidate sites for
priority treatment/CAG formation. |
| 9/94 |
Established a CAG at the St. Louis
FUSRAP site. |
| 1/95 |
Established a CAG at the Weldon
Springs site. |
| 9/96 |
St. Louis site CAG issued final
report and recommendation. |
Region 8 is working closely with two minority communities
near the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA). Montbello, located on
the southern edge of RMA, has a sizable percentage of
African-American residents. Commerce City, located on the
western edge of RMA, has a sizable percentage of Hispanic
residents.
Region 8 made numerous contacts with the Montbello
community and worked closely with local community leaders to
identify ways to more effectively involve the community. EPA
continues to coordinate with the community's Colorado State
Legislature representative, City Councilwoman, her aide, and
two staff from the Denver Department of Health and Hospitals
(DHH) on the complicated issues surrounding the selected
remedy and ways to communicate these issues to the community.
A direct result of this coordination is the inclusion of
community-based workgroups to actively guide the State and
Federal agencies regarding community health concerns (MMAG
Workgroup) and O&M trust fund issues.
In response to other community concerns, EPA initiated a
soil sampling program specifically designed for Montbello. To
date, these results have been shared with community leaders,
State and Federal health organizations, and distributed in
fact sheets to the Montbello community. The result is that
the Montbello community is now doubly assured that there is
no indication of contaminant--related health threats in their
soils. The sampling information is also being provided to the
MMAG.
Both Montbello and Commerce City have representation on
the Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) for RMA. Through the
RAB, EPA has encouraged more local involvement in the design
process of the remedy. At EPA's request, each of the project
designs for RMA will be provided to the public at both the 30
percent completion phase as well as the final report. This
will enable the public to provide input in the early phases
as well as for the end product. As design and construction
progress, EPA and CDPHE will continue to distribute a
newsletter/fact sheet on the RMA remediation activities to
keep communities up-to-date on all aspects of the ongoing
work, such as adherence to health standards and schedule
delays.
| 9/94 - 4/95 |
Held several meetings with community
leaders from all the affected communities to express
their concerns to the Regional Administrator. |
| 10/94 |
Began distribution of newsletter on
RMA remediation. |
| 1/96 - 10/96 |
Distribution/coordination of
Montbello soil sampling data/results. Distribution of
fact sheet to the community on September 7-8, 1996. |
| 6/96 - 10/96 |
Establishment/meetings of MMAG and
trust fund workgroups. |
| 6/96 |
Signature of remedy selection
document to which involved members of the communities
were invited. |
| Laura Williams |
(303) 312-6660 |
Region 8, F. E. Warren Air Force Base and the Wyoming
Department of Environmental Quality are providing the
citizens of the Nob Hill community with a safe clean drinking
water supply. The Nob Hill community is located on the
southwestern boundary of Warren Air Force Base. The community
has a sizeable Hispanic population and is economically
depressed.
The resident's water supply was contaminated by Warren Air
Force Base. The region's remedial investigations determined
that a TCE ground-water plume emanating from one of the
landfills on-Base had reached the Nob Hill community's
drinking water supply. All residents were on private drinking
water wells.
The Air Force agreed to "hook-up" all residents
(approximately 20, for a total cost of between $200,000 to
$300,000) in the community to the city of Cheyenne's water
system. The residents will not pay any costs. The city of
Cheyenne, however, required that the Nob Hill residents sign
an agreement stating that if the city provided the
"water-line" then the community could be annexed
into the city at some time in the future. However, the city
is not expected to annex the Nob Hill community since the
area does not meet the city's criteria for annexation.
| Art Palomares |
(303) 312-6658 |
The activities directed at addressing environmental
justice concerns in the closing and realignment of bases in
Region 9 have varied, depending on the needs of the locality.
RABs have been established at all closing bases to broaden
representation of community members with diverse interests,
including those with environmental justice concerns. During
the establishment of the RAB for Castle Air Force Base in
California, Region 9 strongly encouraged base officials to
involve the largely Hispanic community. While efforts have
been made, Hispanic community interest has been limited, and
the RAB currently does not have membership drawn from this
community.
At the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in California, the
primary concern of the environmental justice community is the
need to create job opportunities, either as part of the
environmental investigation and cleanup or via leases that
bring new businesses to the community. To this end, EPA has
actively worked with the Navy on several leases. EPA worked
collaboratively with the Navy on the environmental baseline
survey (EBS) and finding of suitability to lease (FOSL),
documents developed to support leasing of specific parcels to
James Richards of Aboriginal Blackman Unlimited, a local
African-American business that provides job training for
local residents. EPA wrote the EBS and FOSL for a specific
lease to 20th Century Fox for film production. EPA also
facilitated resolution of issues allowing the lease of Dry
Dock #4, the largest dry dock on the west coast, which has
already resulted in employment of 20 local residents of this
predominantly African-American community, and promises many
more jobs to come.
At Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and in the surrounding
Bayview/Hunters Point community, EPA has issued several
grants to address environmental justice issues:
Environmental Justice Grants. EPA has awarded two
environmental justice grants to two community groups in the
Bayview Hunters Point District. A $28,000 grant was awarded
to the Southeast Alliance for Environmental Justice (SAEJ) to
perform an assessment of the hazards in the community,
develop a Hunters Point toxics computer database, and
communicate these findings to the community. A grant of
$22,000 was awarded to the Shoreview Tenant's Association,
Inc. (STA) to develop an environmental equity and justice
task force that will network with the community, support
environmental restoration projects, develop an informational
kit on lead abatement, and establish an environmental
collection at the local library. A third grant for $20,000
will be awarded to the San Francisco League of Urban
Gardeners (SLUG) to develop leadership skills for
"at-risk" youth in the area and to have them
utilize these skills to educate and organize the Bayview
Hunter's Point community around environmental justice issues
in the area.
Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community Assistance.
Bayview Hunters Point is one of six neighborhoods in San
Francisco designated as an Enterprise Community under the
EZ/EC program. The City will receive $3 million in Social
Service Block Grants from HUD to be used for non-profits,
school-to-jobs programs, and other social service activities.
Brownfields Grant. EPA has awarded the San
Francisco Redevelopment Agency a $100,000 Regional
Brownfields Pilot Grant. The funds will be used to develop a
risk management approach for cleanup, which includes looking
at background site information and historical uses for the
South Bayshore area which is outside and adjacent to the
Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. A Brownfields Advisory Board
will be formed to ensure public participation in project
decisions.
Pollution Prevention Grant. In FY96, EPA awarded an
Environmental Justice Through Pollution Prevention Grant for
a Bayview/Hunters Point Compost Project. A $95,000 grant was
awarded to the South Bayshore Community Development
Corporation to train community members to perform waste
audits at restaurants and produce markets. Edible foods will
be redirected to the homeless and needy and materials for
compost will be sent to Bayshore Compost. Employment will be
boosted by supporting a viable composting business.
| 10/95 |
Work started on environmental
justice grants to STA and SAEJ. |
| 7/96 |
Environmental justice grant awarded
to SLUG. |
| 8/96 |
Brownfields grant awarded to San
Francisco Redevelopment Authority. |
| 9/96 |
Work completed on environmental
justice grants to STA and SAEJ. |
| Claire Trombadore |
(415) 744-2409 |
| Sheryl Lauth |
(415) 744-2387 |
Action
Item
| Encourage Native American and
Native Hawaiian stakeholder involvement. |
The Final Report of the Federal Facilities Environmental
Restoration Dialogue Committee included recommendations to
establish advisory boards at the community level for the
purpose of actively educating and engaging a diverse set of
stakeholders in the cleanup decision-making process.
| 5/95 |
Conducted Federal facility session
at the Third National Tribal Conference on
Environmental Management. |
| Renee Wynn |
(202) 260-8366 |
Region 9 is monitoring activities under way to cleanup the
Kaho'olawe Island in Hawaii. The island was formerly used by
the DOD as a bombing range and was recently returned to State
of Hawaii ownership. While legislation authorized $400
million to clean up the Island (which contains unexploded
ordnance), little has been appropriated for this effort to
date. The Island has tremendous cultural significance to the
Native Hawaiian population. To ensure Hawaiians' interests
are protected during cleanup of the Island, Hawaii designated
the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission as the State's agent
in developing with the Navy a voluntary framework describing
how the cleanup will proceed. EPA is monitoring the
development of this framework to ensure that key principles
of EPA regulations are addressed--most specifically, the
stakeholder involvement components. EPA has met with the Navy
and Hawaii to discuss the development of the cleanup
framework, and has initiated contact with Protect Kaho'olawe
Ohana, a Native Hawaiian advocacy group, in January 1995. In
addition, EPA has discussed the issue with the Western
Governors' Association, which may also participate in the
development of the regulatory framework.
| 11/94 |
Held meeting with the Navy and
Hawaii representatives to discuss cleanup. |
| 1/95 |
Contacted Native Hawaiian advocacy
group. |
| 1/95 |
Held discussions with Western
Governors Association. |
| 3/95 |
Held meeting with the Navy and
Hawaii representatives to discuss cleanup. |
| 4/96 |
Held annual meeting with the Navy
and Hawaii representatives to discuss cleanup |
| Richard Seradarian |
(415) 744-2411 |
Region 10 reported that involving the Tribes in the
cleanup decision-making and oversight at the DOE's Hanford
site is an ongoing effort under EPA's trust obligations.
Special efforts have been made to be responsive to Tribal
input, and the input has shaped the cleanup program at
Hanford. The EPA Federal Facilities Branch Hanford Project
Office produces a newsletter, issues fact sheets, provides a
toll-free phone line, supports a Hanford Advisory Board
(stakeholder/citizen/Tribal representation), issues press
releases, and works with DOE on four information
repositories.
During the summer of 1994, the EPA Regional Administrator
met with the three affected Tribes: the Confederated Tribes
of the Umatilla Reservation, the Confederated Tribes and
Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation, and the Nez Perce Tribe.
The Region 10 Hanford Project Office has established an
ongoing dialogue with the three Tribes and continues to
involve the Tribes in cleanup decisions at the Hanford
facility. Region 10 currently is working to modify the
cleanup agreements and records of decision.
The Region 10 Hanford Project office has formed a
government stakeholder management team made up of
representatives from EPA, DOE, the States of Oregon and
Washington, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Reservation, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima
Indian Nation, and the Nez Perce Tribe. This team is working
on the Columbia River comprehensive impact assessment and has
met weekly for over a year. A Draft Final Impact Assessment
was submitted in December 1996. Additionally, the Tribes are
involved in all budget prioritization discussions with DOE,
work with the Hanford Advisory Board, the Natural Resource
Trustee Council, and a Cultural Resources Board. The
relationship that has developed through this intensive effort
is mutually beneficial to the Tribes and EPA.
| Larry Gadbois |
(509) 376-9884 |
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