RAB TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE UPDATE

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

RAB TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE UPDATE
December 16, 1994

 The Defense Department Cleanup office is still working to
implement the technical assistance provision of the Underwood-Kohl
Amendment to the FY95 Defense Authorization. The report, in a trade
publication, that the money would not be available was based on a
misinterpretation of comments made by a member of the DOD staff.

 At a November work group meeting of the Federal Facilities
Environmental Restoration Dialogue Committee, the Cleanup staff
sought feedback on a series of options for implementing Underwood-
Kohl, ranging from grants similar to EPA's Technical Assistance
Grants to the establishment of university-based panels of independent
experts.

 One of the problems in implementing the legislation lies in the
precise language of the amendment itself. At non-"Superfund" sites,
the law says that "funds shall be paid to, and administered by" the
Restoration Advisory Boards (RABs) or Technical Review
Committees. Those activists who gave input into the legislation had
asked that it make clear that the community members of RAB's be
empowered "to select and direct" their own technical consultants, but
no one knows from where this particular language came. At this point,
RAB's don't have their own administrative structures or bank
accounts, so it will take some work - and good legal advice - to figure
out how to meet both the intent and technical requirements of the law.

 Nevertheless, despite reports to the contrary, the Cleanup
office is working on the regulations and procedures to institutionalize
RAB's and enable technical assistance.

Lenny Siegel