DOE OSTI2016
The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the lead federal agency for the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) which was initiated in 1974 to address contamination remaining from Manhattan Engineer District and early U.S. Atomic Energy Commission activities. As the lead agency, USACE follows the protocols set forth in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) to address FUSRAP sites. During certain project milestones of the CERCLA process, community outreach initiatives occur to communicate the status and/or findings from site investigations and project decision documents. The style of public interaction is tailored to match the project milestone, technical complexity of a project, the stakeholder involvement level, or type of decision being made on a particular project. Community involvement is one of the most important aspects of environmental work, and proactive and transparent communication can build meaningful relationships with the community and between project stakeholders. The USACE Buffalo District has experience using different stakeholder interaction techniques and providing information on projects through a variety of media. Rather than simply distributing information, the goal of community outreach is to encourage participation in the process and to provide opportunities for the public to fully understand, ask questions about, and provide feedback on the complex technical issues involved in decision-making for each FUSRAP site. The frequency and method of interaction depends on the project, and the USACE Buffalo District has worked to promote openness and transparency and to ensure the community is provided with many opportunities for public participation. Project information has been provided to stakeholders using multiple techniques, such as formal project workshops, poster sessions, site tours, news releases, storybooks, and videos. Aside from project-specific community relations plans, the USACE Buffalo District has participated in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs established to inspire current and future generations of young people to pursue careers in STEM fields. Each year, the USACE Buffalo District performs outreach in the community to share information on our projects as well as to introduce students to various disciplines associated with environmental careers. (authors)
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗