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Community Resources
Links
Community Involvement
- Community Involvement Home
- Technical Assistance Grants (TAG)
- Community Advisory Group (CAG)
- Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC)
- Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI)
- Regional Public Liaison (RPL) (under development)
EPA provides assistance to communities through a variety of technical assistance and training resources. These resources help communities participate in Superfund decisions at sites in their community. This page provides information about community involvement resources provided by EPA as well as links to other programs that may be useful to communities with Superfund sites.
Technical Assistance
Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs)
Provides money for activities that help your community participate in decision making at eligible Superfund sites.
Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC)
Provides experts who can explain hazardous waste problems in the community and U.S. EPA’s plans for cleaning up these waste sites.
Community Advisory Group (CAG)
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.
Community Training
Community 101: An Overview of the Superfund Program (PDF) (1 pg, 2.3MB, About PDF)
Outlines the Superfund program, Emergency Response, Community Involvement, and the Environmental Justice Initiative.
Contaminated Sediments in Our Waterways: Impacts and Solutions (DVD)
Discusses what sediments are, how they become contaminated, the impact of the pollution, and various solutions for treatment and recovery of the waterways.
HAZ-ED - Classroom Activities for Understanding Hazardous Waste
Provides materials that can be used as part of a larger curriculum, as special stand-alone activities, or on an occasional basis to teach students in grades 7-12 about hazardous waste issues. Additional classroom activities for grades K-6 also are available.
Superfund for Kids
Contains activities and stories, including The Secret of Bog Creek Farm, to introduce children ages three and older to the basic concepts of the Superfund program. A Spanish version of the Bog Creek story, El Secreto de la Granja de Bog Creek, also is available.
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.
"Superfund Risk Assessment and How You Can Help" (Video)
Explains in plain terms the Superfund human health risk assessment process and how communities can be involved. Check with your Regional Community Involvement Coordinator to arrange a presentation of this 40-minute video.
This Is Superfund: A Citizen’s Guide to the Superfund Program (PDF) (8 pp, 524K, About PDF)
Provides citizens with a basic understanding of the Superfund process and how they can become involved if there is a Superfund site in their neighborhoods. A Spanish version of this brochure, Guía del ciudadano para el Programa de Superfund (PDF) (19 pp, 475K, About PDF) 
, also is available.
Conflict Resolution
EPA Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center
Provides resources for consensus building, conflict prevention, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Regional Public Liaison Program (under development)
The ten Regional Public Liaisons (RPL), formerly known as the Superfund Regional Ombudsmen, provide information and assistance to the public in resolving issues and concerns raised about the Superfund and other programs administered by the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER). The RPL may: 1) provide information to the public; 2) facilitate informal public contact with EPA staff; 3) help resolve problems; and 4) make recommendations to Agency senior management to resolve issues.
Useful Links
Community Involvement University (PDF) (18 pp, 349K,
About PDF)
Provides opportunities for U.S. EPA headquarters and regional program personnel to build skills needed for successful community involvement.
Environmental Justice Geographic Assessment Tool (EnviroMapper)
Provides information for preliminary analysis of environmental justice areas of concern, including demographics, such as persons per square mile, per capita income, and percent below the poverty line.
EPA Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know
Describes requirements for emergency planning and chemical reporting under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.
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.
EPA's Public Involvement Policy
Provides guidance to EPA staff on effective and reasonable ways to involve the public in EPA's regulatory and program implementation decisions. The Agency defines the term "the public" to include any individual or organization that may have an interest in an Agency decision.
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.
Schools and Mercury
Provides information for school administrators, faculty, staff, local health jurisdictions, and parent groups on how to reduce the hazards of mercury on children's health, avoid chemical liabilities, develop planning tools, and establish collection programs for mercury.
State, Tribal, and Local Government Assistance
Describes programs and funding mechanisms available to assist state, tribal, and local government organizations in responding to cleanup and redevelop contaminated sites and respond to local emergencies.
Superfund Information Center
Provides public access to up-to-date information on U.S. EPA programs, including Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act and the Toxics Release Inventory, risk management regulations under the Clean Air Act, Superfund, and the Spill Prevention, Control & Countermeasures Plans and the oil pollution prevention regulations under the Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act.
Superfund Relocation Information
Provides background information that was used in developing the Interim Policy on the Use of Permanent Relocations as Part of Superfund Remedial Actions.