Community Involvement
Links
Communities
Helpful Contacts
- Report a spill or site problem
- Regional Superfund Community Involvement Contacts
- Regional Public Liaisons
Key Topics
Targeted Information
Community involvement is the process of engaging in dialogue and collaboration with community members.
The goal of Superfund community involvement is to advocate and strengthen early and meaningful community participation during Superfund cleanups. Superfund community involvement staff will strive to:
- Keep the community well informed of ongoing and planned activities.
- Encourage and enable community members to get involved.
- Listen carefully to what the community is saying.
- Take the time needed to deal with community concerns.
- Change planned actions where community comments or concerns have merit.
- Explain to the community what EPA has done and why.
Programs and Resources
Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs)
Provides money for activities that help your community participate in decision making at eligible Superfund sites.
Community Advisory Group (CAG)
Provides a public forum for community members to present and discuss their needs and concerns related to the Superfund decision-making process.
Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI)
Supports job training programs in communities affected by nearby Superfund sites and encourages the employment of trainees at local site cleanups.
Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC)
EPA awarded a contract in July 2007 to provide independent technical assistance to communities living near hazardous waste sites.
Superfund Redevelopment Program
Helps communities return some of the nation's worst hazardous waste sites to safe and productive uses.
Guidance and Publications
Community Involvement Guidance and Publications
Community Involvement Activities Diagram (PDF) (1 page, 127KB,
About PDF)
Graphic that shows opportunities for Community Involvement during the Superfund cleanup process
Community Involvement Toolkit
Comprehensive and practical tool for promoting successful community participation in the Superfund process.
Community 101: An Overview of the Superfund Program (PDF) (1 page, 2.3MB,
About PDF)
Presentation outlining the Superfund program, Emergency Response, the Community Involvement Program and Environmental Justice Initiative.
Other Resources
EPA's Public Involvement
Details the full range of activities that EPA uses to engage the American people in the Agency's decision-making process.
EPA Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center
Provides resources for consensus building, conflict prevention, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
EPA Office of Environmental Justice
Coordinates the Agency's efforts to integrate the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national
origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies into all
policies, programs, and activities.
International Association for Public Participation
Helps organizations and communities around the world improve their decisions by involving those people who are affected by those decisions.
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