Re: NARAB

["ARC Ecology" <arc@igc.org>]

ATTENTION: RESTORATION ADVISORY BOARD COMMUNITY MEMBERS

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO: 
A NATIONAL CAUCUS OF RESTORATION ADVISORY BOARD COMMUNITY MEMBERS

DATE: JANUARY 25-26 1997

LOCATION: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

THE RAB COMMUNITY MEMBER NATIONAL CAUCUS WILL TAKE PLACE CONCURRENTLY WITH 
THE PENTAGON'S DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION TASK FORCE MEETING 

TOWARD BUILDING A RAB COMMUNITY MEMBER NATIONAL CAUCUS. Arc Ecology 
wants to express its support for the organizing of a national caucus 
of RAB community members. For some time now, Arc Ecology has been 
organizing caucuses of RAB community members in California. Over 
the past three years community members from 16 of California's 22 RABs 
have participated in the Caucus process. This year, Arc received funding 
from the Ottinger and Town Creek Foundations to host a national caucus of 
RAB community members from around the United States. One of the objectives 
of the upcoming meeting is the creation of an ongoing RAB Community 
Member National Caucus. 

We will be convening the RAB Community Member National Caucus on 
January 25 and 26, 1998 in Phoenix, Arizona. The National Caucus 
meeting will coincide with the next meeting of the Pentagon's 
Defense Environmental Restoration Task Force to enable RAB members 
to participate in both events. 

WHAT'S A RAB CAUCUS?

A RAB Caucus is a network of community members of Restoration Advisory 
Boards cooperating to ensure the proper cleanup of individual military 
bases and promote the creation of better regional, state and national 
base cleanup policy. 

WHO'S THE DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION TASK FORCE WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

The DERTF is the Federal Advisory Committee for the Pentagon's cleanup 
program. It reviews and makes recommendations on most of the DoD 
policies related to base cleanup. The DERTF is composed of federal, 
state and public representatives. Its members include the USEPA, the 
National Association of Attorney Generals, the Western Governors 
Association, the Urban Institute, and the Environment and Energy Study 
Institute and is chaired by the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for 
Environmental Security, Ms. Sherry Wasserman Goodman whose office staffs 
the DERTF. Its meetings are open and there is public comment. Its 
next meeting will take place in January 1998, in Phoenix, Arizona.

The DERTF process offers an important, previously unused, opportunity 
to bring community voices to DoD's planners and advisors. The meeting 
will provide RAB members with an opportunity to address the committee 
and meet a number of the key people most directly advising and managing 
the Pentagon's Installation Restoration and BRAC programs. Because 
DERTF can be an important forum for presenting Caucus policy objectives, 
the RAB Caucus meeting will in-part focus on airing concerns and 
developing a coordinated strategy around the public comment period.

A WORD ABOUT ARC ECOLOGY

Arc Ecology is a public interest nonprofit organization focused on the 
impacts of the military on the environment, economy and international 
security. Arc Ecology has been involved in the military toxics and 
base cleanup issue since 1984. Arc Ecology has a technical staff 
and volunteers are made up of environmental scientists, economist 
planners, and community organizers. Arc is represented on six RABs 
in the San Francisco Bay Area and works with many more around the 
country. Arc also provides technical support to grassroots base cleanup 
campaigns in the Philippines, England and Okinawa. 

MORE LATER....

Instead of up-loading long cumbersome files (which most everyone 
dislikes), we are going to keep these messages short, but frequent! 
We're hoping that you'll participate in these postings and the Caucus 
and bring all of your good ideas into a discussion with other RAB 
community members from around the country.

TOMORROW: THE PRELIMINARY AGENDA OF THE JANUARY 1998 DERTF MEETING