RE: [CPEO-MEF] Community panel on McClellan cleanup is dissolved

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

[Chuck Yarborough asked CPEO to post his message. If you'd like to respond
to Chuck please reply to him at <Charles.Yarbrough@mcclellan.af.mil> --CPEO]


Lenny:

Please Post these E-mails for me.

Thank you,

Chuck Yarbrough
McClellan Air Force Base
Restoration Advisory Board Community Board Member (Phone #(916)643-0633x447)


I sent out my two E-mails before the Community panel on McClellan Air Force
Base cleanup (RAB)was dissolved.  Also, Included is Air Force Col. Charles
Carter's reply to my first E-mail. I could see that McClellan Air Force
Base Officials were about to close the RAB and I had hoped my E-mails would
help stop the closure efforts until all other avenues had been exhausted.
I was not successful but you the reader of these E-mails be the judge! 

I should state this is not the first time McClellan AFB closed down its
Community Environmental Committee!  McClellan AFB closed the McClellan AFB
Installation/Restoration Task Force back in 1986 for a period of about nine
months. The Task Force was formed by Congressman Robert Matsui back in the
summer of 1983 because McClellan AFB would not comply with the Health
Agencies commands to stop polluting.

Chuck Yarbrough
McClellan Air Force Base
Restoration Advisory Board Community Board Member
  


Original Message-----
From:   Yarbrough Charles H Civ SMALC/LHZA
Sent:   Monday, May 01, 2000 6:44 PM
To:     Brunner Paul G Civ SMALC/EM; Cotter Charles A Col 77 ABW/CC;
'healy.joseph@epamail.epa.gov'; 'cooper.david@epamail.epa.gov';
'macdona@gwgate.swrcb.ca.gov'; 'BKilgore@dtsc.ca.gov'; 'NSchumac@dtsc.ca.gov'

Subject:        RESTORATION ADVISORY BOARD PROPOSED CHANGES /Submitted by
the AIR FORCE!!

Dear Col. Carter:

I believe it is most important for RAB Community Members, Government Health
Agencies and Air Force Personnel to be open and honest with one another.
In years, months, and days gone by I do not feel this was always the case.
 When this happens it leads to mistrust.  I am not going to blame one side
or the other but feel we must delay any new changes until after Air Force
Representatives, Government Health Agencies along with RAB Community
Members can sit down at the table and go over our RAB Charter, by-laws and
RAB's Rules of Order plus other important issues.  It is important that we
dialogue together before doing anything even if it takes a series of
meetings to understand each other .  The first charter was signed by
everyone who was on the RAB at the time including Government Health
Agencies, Community, and Air Force People and it took many full days of
work to finish the charter alone!  It took the RAB Community Members over
two years to come up with a few changes to the Charter, plus write our new
RAB's Rules of Order (taken from Robert's Rules of Order) and RAB by-laws!
Plus everyone needs to agree to obey these documents or they will be a
complete waste of time and effort!

What you have written about McClellan AFB's Charter, by-laws, and RAB's
Rules of Order being out of compliance with DOD Requirements and Directives
years after McClellan's RAB was formed is just not correct.  I want to
personally challenge you to phone the founder of the National Caucus of RAB
Community Members founded by Arc Ecology in San Francisco and talk to Mr.
Saul Bloom who sits on the board of Directors (415)495-1786.  Tell Saul
what you have written us about being out of compliance  with DOD
Requirements and Directives and see what he has to say about it.  Please do
ask Saul all the questions you can think of and some more.  I myself have
been to two National Caucus of RAB Community Members Conferences, (One in
Phoenix Arizona and the other in San Francisco Ca.) along with attending
the Defense Environmental Response Task Force in both places.  I can tell
you for certain that in my own personal talks with RAB Community Members
from around these United States of America that there is not one RAB that
operates in the same manner.  Not one RAB has the same charter or other
documents that they follow!  RABs even run their meetings differently and
give their advise to the polluter differently!  DOD Requirements and
Directives were given for guidance not as a cure all and must follow rules.
 If they were given as rules all RABs in the United States of America would
operate the same in all the aspects written above.  I must also inform you
that I attended the two day weekend workshop/conference (in the fall of
1994) titled Restoration Advisory Board Implementaton Guidelines put on as
a joint effort by Federal EPA and DOD.  I believe you should read it!!  If
you need a copy you can borrow mine.

In conclusion we need to leave all the documents the same until such a time
all parties sit down at the table and agree to how this RAB should be run!

Thank You,

Charles Yarbrough

Community RAB Member

(916)643-0633x447

Original Message-----
From:   Cotter Charles A Col 77 ABW/CC
Sent:   Tuesday, May 02, 2000 5:23 PM
To:     Yarbrough Charles H Civ SMALC/LHZA
Cc:     'lgeissin@AFBDA1.HQ.AF.MIL'; Martinelli Robert J Col  77 ABW/CV;
Walmsley Robin D LtC SMALC/JA; Barone Jim Civ SMALC/CD;
'tkempste@afbda1.hq.af.mil'; 'NSchumac@dtsc.ca.gov';
'BKilgore@dtsc.ca.gov'; 'macdona@gwgate.swrcb.ca.gov';
'cooper.david@epamail.epa.gov'; Brunner Paul G Civ SMALC/EM;
'healy.joseph@epamail.epa.gov'

Subject:        RE: RESTORATION ADVISORY BOARD PROPOSED CHANGES /Submitted
by the AIR FORCE!!



Mr Yarbrough, this is exactly what I had hoped to accomplish by now in our
joint efforts to improve the RAB.  You may recall from our meeting at the
end of Feb when I met with you, Mr Callaway, Ms Guerra, and Mr Lynch to
explain our vision of improving the RAB and providing proposed revisions to
the charter as a starting point for discussion that I asked for us to get
together again in March and in early April to work on these changes.
Proposed dates for those meetings were even included in the letter Gen
Wiedemer sent all RAB members on 28 Feb.  We also set 1 May as a milestone
for when we would have completed that effort.  None of those meetings
occurred and no progress has been made in two months.  Instead of having
those meetings and making progress TOGETHER, the only reaction I received
back from Mr Callaway (representing the community RAB members) until now
can best be characterized as refusing to work with us and refusing to
acknowledge any role the Installation Commander has in regards to the RAB
(the emails were much stronger and emotional, but that was the message).
We are committed to fulfilling our responsibility of having an effective
Restoration ADVISORY Board (RAB) that allows community members to be aware
of, discuss, and provide advice on how best to accomplish the Environmental
Restoration process at McClellan AFB.  The three key points of our vision
for an effective RAB which we discussed at the end of Feb. are 1) A
balanced and open process; 2) Effective two way communication; and 3)
Broaden diversity of membership to include a variety of stakeholders and
social demographics.  We have made no progress in the intervening two
months because of this refusal to work together. We (the AF/DOD) are
responsible for making sure community members do have a forum to be
informed on the environmental issues at McClellan and what the AF/DOD is
planning to do about them in our Restoration program, to openly discuss
those restoration plans, to discuss alternatives, and to advise us on the
best ways to proceed.  The current RAB process is not allowing this to
happen effectively.  It is because of the number of complaints Gen Wiedemer
received several months ago regarding the RAB that we set out on this
course to improve the RAB.  Our goal is to ensure it is best serving the
public by ensuring the RAB is a balanced and open forum, with effective two
way communication, and with diverse representation of our community
including key stakeholders with an interest in the restoration of McClellan
AFB.  We cannot take two years to bring about these changes; too many
important issues are at hand.  Clean up of McClellan is an ongoing effort
and important actions and decisions are upon us. As we transition this
installation from an active Air Force base to the community new
stakeholders are coming to the table and need effective RAB representation.
We must have an effective communication forum to provide information to the
public on substantive restoration issues and allow for open and balanced
discussion.  To the extent that you and other RAB members share this
vision, I look forward to working with you in the future.    Thanks!  Col
Charlie Cotter


Original Message-----
From:   Yarbrough Charles H Civ SMALC/LHZA
Sent:   Wednesday, May 03, 2000 11:33 AM
To:     Cotter Charles A Col 77 ABW/CC
Cc:     'lgeissin@AFBDA1.HQ.AF.MIL'; Martinelli Robert J Col  77 ABW/CV;
Walmsley Robin D LtC SMALC/JA; Barone Jim Civ SMALC/CD;
'tkempste@afbda1.hq.af.mil'; 'NSchumac@dtsc.ca.gov';
'BKilgore@dtsc.ca.gov'; 'macdona@gwgate.swrcb.ca.gov';
'cooper.david@epamail.epa.gov'; Brunner Paul G Civ SMALC/EM;
'healy.joseph@epamail.epa.gov'; 'arc@apc.org'

Subject:        2nd REPLY: RESTORATION ADVISORY BOARD PROPOSED CHANGES
/Submitted by the AIR FORCE!!


Dear Col. Carter:


Before you or your staff write out proposed changes to the surrounding
civilian community of a DOD Facility whether they be the RAB's Charter,
By-Laws, RAB's Rules of Order or other governing document, tell the
community at a public meeting of your intentions ahead of time.  This would
especially be true of your extensive proposed changes!   If you don't, your
act of writing out proposed changes will be taken as the act of a dictator
to many members of the public no matter how good your intentions.  I
realize being a colonel in the military you are used to telling a person
not only to jump but how high to jump.  Not only does this not work with
many civilians, but even a hint of this behavior will draw the worst out of
some in the community particularly since you are seen as the polluter of
the community.  What I am suggesting is that we sit down as the Restoration
Advisory Board without any proposed changes in writing and talk.  Then, if
there are changes to be made let us have a series of meetings (all day if
necessary) and make them together.  I would hope, as you, that this could
be done in a short time period because as you state, there are many
important decisions to be made and soon.

Thank You,

Chuck Yarbrough

Community RAB Member

(916)643-0633x447         
        
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