[CPEO-MEF] COMMUNITIES: RABs and TAPP - time to retrain

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

I was part of the effort, beginning 1994, that led to the establishment 
of more than 300 Restoration Advisory Boards (RABs) at Department of 
Defense cleanup programs, and which soon included the option of 
Technical Assistance for Public Participation (TAPP). On the whole, that 
remarkable experiment in public involvement, a form of direct democracy 
addressing highly technical issues, has been successful. Many RABs, such 
as the one at Moffett Field, California, where I remain an active 
member, provide a forum for constructive criticism of military and 
regulator plans.

All along, there have been problems at both ends of the spectrum. Some 
RABs, such as Fort Ord, devolved into shouting matches. Others have 
proven to be ineffective rubber stamps of government proposals. But on 
the whole, the neighbors of contaminated military facilities have been 
given access to information, opportunities to comment, and through TAPP 
and EPA's Technical Assistance Grant program, the ability to take part 
in technical discussions. This has not only benefited host communities; 
it has made the military's cleanup effort stronger.

Back when we set up the RABs, the military hosted a series of 
conferences and trainings for installation environmental personnel, 
introducing, among other things, the concept of public participation. I 
know, because I spoke at a number of such events. But as time 
progressed, responsibility has been transferred to officials who "knew 
not Joseph." That is, decisions about RAB operations and the TAPP 
program are being made by Defense Department personnel who do not fully 
understand the origins of the program and the value of INDEPENDENT 
community oversight. So we are seeing a growing number of military 
installations, such as Badger and New Jersey's Picatinny Arsenal, where 
disputes over the nature of that oversight have emerged.

I call upon the Defense Department and the Armed Services to work with 
community representatives to again set up conferences or other training 
sessions to revive the spirit of the Defense cleanup community 
involvement program and again put all of us on the same page.

Lenny

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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