|
PDF file on the PAERAB’s website. [Note that pages in the actual physical paper document are numbered differently from those in the electronic PDF file’s version.] The 14 principles are presented on pages x-xiii (PDF - pgs. 9 to 12) of the 1996 report, and they are enumerated below as follows: “1. Nature of the Obligation—The federal government has caused or permitted environmental contamination. Therefore, it has not only a legal, but an ethical and moral obligation to clean up that contamination in a manner that, at a minimum, protects human health and the environment and minimizes burdens on future generations. In many instances, this environmental contamination has contributed to the degradation of human health, the environment, and economic vitality in local communities. The federal government must not only comply with the law; it should strive to be a leader in the field of environmental cleanup, which includes addressing public health concerns, ecological restoration, and waste management. |
|
2. Sustained Commitment to Environmental Cleanup —The federal government must make a sustained commitment to completing environmental cleanups at its facilities at a reasonable and defensible pace that is protective of human health and the environment and allows closing federal facilities to return to economic use as promptly as possible. 3. Environmental Justice—The federal government has an obligation to make special efforts to reduce the adverse impacts of environmental contamination related to federal facility activities on affected communities that have historically lacked economic and political power, adequate health services, and other resources. 4. Consistency of Treatment between Federal Facilities and Private Sites— Federal facilities should be treated in a manner that is consistent with private sector sites, especially in terms of the application of cleanup standards. |
|
According to its own descriptive documents the Federal Facilities Environmental Restoration Dialogue Committee (FFERDC) was federally chartered on April 29, 1992 in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) 5 U.S.C. App. 2 §9( c ) under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop consensus policy recommendations specifically intended to improve the federal facility environmental cleanup decision making process. [ Some text has been rendered bold and italicized by this author for emphasis to facilitate reading — M.G. ] In August of 1995, the FFERDC issued fourteen guiding principles deemed by it to be the appropriate basis of the federal facility cleanup decision making process. The FFERDC asserts that these principles are intended to be complementary of one another. These 14 principles were included in the FFERDC’s April 1996 Final Report titled Consensus Principles and Recommendations for Improving Federal Facilities Cleanup. This report is available as an Adobe electronic |
FFERDC Guidance (pre 2000) by Michael Glaab
|
Renewed Federal facility cleanup hearings
(CONT’D FROM P. 14)
|
|
Dear Participant of the Federal Facility Cleanup Dialogue: Thank you for attending the Federal Facility Cleanup Dialogue (Dialogue). Your perspective was essential as we strive to improve the cleanup of federal facilities. Attached is the summary of the Dialogue meeting held October 20, 2010, in Washington, DC. The document summarizes the Opening Comments, Substantive Themes, Discussion of Suggestions for a Path Forward, and Closing Comments. Also included in the attachment are the meeting agenda, list of participants with contact information and hand-outs from several participants. I attended the Dialogue as one of
|
|
my first activities as the Acting Director of the Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office. I was inspired by the suggestions that I heard and challenged by the critiques of the Federal facility cleanup program. I admire the passion expressed by stakeholders for improving the cleanup and reuse process in a way that best serves communities. We are in the process of scheduling meetings with DOD and DOE, to keep the commitment that EPA made in October to meet with the other federal agencies after the Dialogue summaries were completed. I look forward to working together in the next phase of the Dialogue. Please do not hesitate to contact |
|
me, … if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely, Reggie Cheatham, Acting Director Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office, USEPA ...” It is expected that the summary reports will be made available on such official websites as that of the USEPA. The summary report of the first session is available on the PAERAB’s website. Numerous assorted documents relating to the activities of the FFDC, the Federal Facilities Environmental Restoration Dialogue Committee and the Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office are available at the following location: http://www.epa.gov/fedfac/
|
