My "Backyard"!

What Can I Do?
Do you know how to find out about the cleanup of a hazardous waste site in
your community? Do you know how you can participate? The Superfund
program has many ways for people in communities to be a part of the cleanup
process. You can join or help form a group that can have a say in decisions
made about cleaning up sites; money is available to help people in these groups
understand what is going on during the cleanup process. The Superfund
program is working hard to help people hi communities play a role in the
cleanup efforts. ~ —
In This Issue,
Find information On
First Steps
Important
Phone Numbers
Helpful
Documents
_\ Materials
Playing an Active Role
There are more than 1,200 sites on the National Priorities List (NPL), which is
EPA's list of the country's most serious hazardous
waste sites eligible for cleanup under the
Superfund program. You may live near one
of these sites, or near one of Superfund's
removal sites, which is a site where
emergency cleanup activities are being conducted, even though the site is
not on the NPL. If you are a concerned citizen, the first step in playing an
active role is getting clear and accurate information. EPA and the Superfund
program have many ways for you and other people in your community to get
this information. By learning about the site and the cleanup process, you can
become a part of the effort to clean up the environment in your community.

How to Get the Facts
This issue of Superfund Today is a fold-out poster that can help you get the facts you need.
When you have questions, you need to know where to go for answers. What is the
Superfund program? How does the cleanup process work? Where can you find out about
what is going on at a site? How can you have a say in choosing how a site will be cleaned
up? Can you or your family's health be affected by chemicals at the site? How can you
have a say about what will happen to the site once it is cleaned up? This issue of
Superfund Today can help you find out.

-------
  Focusing on

  Superfund  Resources  .  ,  .

  Getting Started

  So, you want to find out what's going on...but where do
  you start? There are a lot of ways you can get the facts.
  Inside this issue of Superfund Today is a fold-out poster that
  tells you who to call, where to go, and what kinds of
  information you can get—over the phone, in writing, and
  through your computer.

  You can begin by calling or writing the person in your EPA
  regional office who coordinates cleanup efforts in your area.
  You can visit the place where information on the site in
  your area is kept. You can order written materials from the
   _        National Technical Information Service (NTIS).
     .",>f I  If you have a computer and know how to use
  inside
v v  y Y  j  the Internet, there are many places to look for
o poster
 T        *  information electronically. If you are a teacher,
            there are also many ways you and your
            students can get information to use in your
            classroom.

-------
Understanding the
Technical Information

Are you confused by the words used by
engineers and scientists working to clean up
hazardous waste? Do you want to understand
what the laws and regulations mean?
Superfund provides grants for people in
communities to hire technical advisors, go to
training classes, and get supplies and
equipment to help them understand what is
going on at  a site. Using the poster inside, you
can find out how groups in communities
affected by hazardous wastes  sites can get the
help they need from the Superfund program.
                                                                 January 1999

-------
                              Superfund
FIRST STEPS
Regional Community
Involvement Coordinators (CICs)
This is the person in your EPA regional office who can
give you the facts about a site in or near your
community. See the map on the back for the phone
number of youFRegional CIC.	

Superfund Document Center
This is where all the facts available to the public on the
Superfund program can be found, including laws,
regulations, and a list of the most serious sites.
Phone: (703) 603-9232,9:00 am-4:0.0 pm, Eastern,
Monday-Friday. Ask for outreach documents.
www.epa.gb^/superfund/tools/sfinfo.htm
        V- '•   ¥  f'' B^""T;^-ST;; 	  :-  t-. - -•*•#*?•• -y^~
National  techhiccal_  ^
Information^Service (Nfrs)
This is where you can buy copie&Sf: Superfund and
other government documents. Pljopej
8:30 am—5:00 pm, Eastern,
www.ntis.gov

Site Repository/Administrative Records
The facts on each site can be found in a public building
in the area of the site. Your Regional CIC can tell you
the location; see the map on the back for the phone
number of your Regional CIC.
 IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

 National Response Center Hotline
 Receives reports of oil and hazardous chemical,
 biological, and radiological releases. Phone: (800) 424-
 8802 or (202) 267-2675,24 hours/day, 7 days/week.
 www.nrc.uscg.mil

 RCRA/UST, Superfund and Emergency
 Planning and  Community Right-to-Know
 (EPCRA) Hotline
 Answers your questions and provides useful documents
 about the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
 (RCRA), Underground Storage Tanks (USTs), and the
 Superfund program. Phone: (703) 412-9810, (800) 424-
 9346, or (800) 535-0202, TDD (800) 553-7672,
 9:00 am-6:00 pm Eastern, Monday-Friday, closed on
 Federal holidays.
 www. epa.gov/epaoswer/hotline/index. htm

 Environmental Justice  Hotline
 Provides assistance and information about equal
 protection from environmental hazards for people of all
 races, cultures, and incomes. Phone: (800)962-6215,
 8:30 am—5:30 pm, Eastern, Monday-Friday.
 es.epa.gov/oeca/oejbut.html

 Environmental Information Service
^Provides information on environmental issues regulated
gEPATlPhpne: (800) 227-8917 (CO, MO, ND; SD, "
pT^andWY residents) or (303) 312-6312 (national)™
 8:00 am-4:30 pmTMountain standard, Monday—Friday.

            */ / - ••..X^"":'"-1 V-Si^-'rf        •'1J:n^^^        T:
             £pv^j^

-------
ELECTRONIC  RESOURCES

Superfund Web Site
A comprehensive Internet resource for information on
the Superfund program—catering to all age groups,
professions, and audience types. In particular, look at
the Community Tools, Site Information Query, What is
Superfund?, Technical Resources, Initiatives and
Programs, Superfund for Kids, Students and Teachers,
Regional Programs, and Frequently Asked Questions
buttons—all of these provide you with accurate and
user-friendly information to help you understand the
cleanup process, hazardous waste sites, and how to get
involved with environmental activities in their
community.
www. epa.gov/superfund

Superfund  Site Fact Sheets
Describe the background and cleanup information on
the sites in your state. Find the fact sheets through the
Superfund home page by choosing the "Regional
Programs" link.
www.epa.gov/superfund

Superfund  Automated  Phone System
A phone/fax system providing information on how to
get hazardous waste data from several Superfund
databases. Some paper products can be delivered
immediately to your facsimile machine; other products
must be mailed. For free faxed or mailed information,
call (800) 775-5037 or (202) 260-8321 at any time.

Envirofacts
Internet access to data from four major EPA databases
containing information on water-discharge permits,
hazardous waste site assessment and cleanup, toxic
chemicals and compounds, and hazardous waste
management.
www.epa.gov/enviro

LandView IU™~
     ^^-~1g~"''    aBjp|p|t^:n ^^
An easy-to-usg^Jectronic atlas of the United J
available onjeTSmpact djsks. LandView III plof
demographic, environmental, and political data at any
map scale. For ordering information, contact the Bureau
of the Census at (301) 457-4100, 8:30 am-4:40 pm,
Eastern, Monday-Friday.
www. census. goi>/geo/www/tig'er
FedWorld
Internet Web site that directs
you to more than 100 federally-
operated computer resources
containing detailed programs, i
databases, and information.
Contact (703) 487-4608,9:00 am-5:00 pm,
Eastern, Monday-Friday.
www.fedworld.gov
Clean-Up Information Bulletin Board
System (CLU-IN)
A Web site that provides a variety of publications on
hazardous waste cleanup.
www.clu-in. com
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Community Advisory Group       /
A Community Advisory Group (CAG) is made up of
people from all parts of the community who want to
learn about what's going on at the nearby Superfund
site, and who want to be apart of decisions that are
made about how the site is cleaned up. The group gives
people from the community achance to talk about how
they feel about the site and what they-'Want to see
happen with it. EPA has a variety of publications about
these groups, including simple fact sheets, guidance
materials, case studies, and a GAG toolkit and booklet.
To get a copy of these publications, contact your
Regional CIC or call thilSupe/fund Information Hotline
        535-0202 op f^j'our order to the Superfund
         fcentefl (70^03-9240.
    t> epa.gov/superfund/tools/index. htm
 Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI)
 SuperJTI provides and supports job training
 opportunities for citizens living in communities affected
 by Superfund sites. Working with local communities,
 SuperJTI teaches hazardous waste cleanup skills that
 help local citizens work on-site as part of the cleanup
 team. Call (703) 603-8772 for more information.
 www.epa.gov/superfund/tools/sfjti/index.htm

-------
 HELPFUL DOCUMENTS

•You ca:lti obtain paper copies of all of the documents below, and many of them can
 on the Internet. To get a document that has a publication number beginning "PB,'
 at the telephone numbers provided in the First Steps section.  Documents beginnin
 can be obtained by contacting the National Center for Environmental Publicati
 Information (NCEPI) at (800) 490-9198,  8:00 am-5:30 pm, Eastern, Monday-F
 other information is provided below.  If you have any problems finding the resouri
 call the RCRA/UST/Superfund/EPCRA hotline at the numbers indicated under the
 Phone Numbers section above, and they can help you find the information you ne
Catalog of Superfund Program
Information Products
List of all published Superfund documents.
PB 95-173290, EPA 540/8-91/014.

Common Chemicals Found
at Superfund Sites
Booklet containing one-page fact sheets on the
most common chemicals found at hazardous waste
sites across the nation. EPA 540/R-94/044. Contact the
Superfund Document Center at the number provided in
the First Steps section.	
www.epa.gov/siiperfund/resources/chemicals.htm

HELP!  EPA Resources for
Small Governments
To find out how EPA can assist small governments,
contact the Government Printing Office and ask for
GPO #: 055-000-00393. Phone: (202) 512-1800, 7:30
am-5:00 pm, Fax: (202) 512-2250, Eastern, Monday-
Friday.  www.gpo.gov

Access EPA
Complete guide to EPA's hotlines, databases,
information services, and more. PB 95-255782,
EPA 220/B-95/004.

Terms of Environment—Glossary,
Abbreviations, and Acronyms
Glossary to help you understand environmental terms.
PB 95-159265, EPA 175/B-93/001. You can also
contact the Office of Communications, Education, and
Public Affairs to obtain this document. Phone: (202)
260-2069, 8:00 am-5:00 pm, Eastern, Monday-Friday.
www. epa.gov/docs/OCEPAterms/
              Science AdvisoryBoard i$AB)
               Scientific and engme^^^^ffrts
                 covering risk
                    management tqpJcsrThe
                     document n
                      Contact the
                      Board. Pho
                       8414,8:00
                       Eastern,
                  www. epa.gov/scl
                                       livisory
                                       260-
Environmental Enforcement:
A Citizen's Guide
Guide explaining the legal side of the en-
protection and cleanup processes. PB
EPA OE/LE-133.
www. epa.gov/ARD-R5/enforce/citizenf,

Superfund at Work
Bulletins describing activities and acco:
specific Superfund sites. NTIS order n
can also call (202) 564-2618.
es. epa.gov/oeca/spfund/index. html
                                 .._
                                 lishments at
                                  fc4»» ^ ^sw-M^*^ «"
                                         You
Citizen's Guides to Understar
Innovative Treatment Technologies
A variety of guides to understandinjfnew*ajid creative
treatment technologies. EPAM2?3QCTol through 008,
EPA 542-F-96-014, and E$?M2j^6-OT6r~
www. epa.gov/swert^l^^nload/remed/cituide. htm
              1" "*

-------
EDUCAT1ONAL MATERIALS

ERT Educational Program
  . -  " •  "^f
Free video-based educational "modules" for use in high
sehookand college environmental science and biology
classes. The modules include a video produced by
ERA'S Environmental Response Team (ERT) that
focuses on real world applications of science and
technology to address EPA preparedness, response,
cleanup, and recovery in hazardous materials situations,
such as Superfund site work and emergency
management.  In addition to the video, teachers and
students are provided classroom, field, study, and
laboratory activities, career descriptions, and resources
to fincf more information on the subjects covered in the
video! Phone: (800) 876-0542.
www'epa.gov/superfund/programs/ert/ertv/index.htm

This is Superfund—A Citizen's Guide
to IPX's Superfund  Program
 • -...-!. - -'H
Video-and brochure, in English and Spanish, explaining
the Superfund program and cleanup process.  Brochure:
EPA 5|K)/K-93/008 (English), EPA 540/K-94/002
(Spanish). Video: Specify either English or Spanish.
Contact NTIS or the Superfund Document Center at the
numbers provided in the First Steps section.
www.epa.gov/superfund/whatissf/sfguide.htm

Hqz-Ed: Classroom Activities for
Understanding  Hazardous  Waste
A collection of educational activities geared for the 7th-
12th gpde levels. EPA 540/K-95/005. Contact NTIS
or the feuperfund Document Center at the numbers
provided in the First Steps section,  www.epa.gov/
siiperftind/students/clas_act/haz-ed/pdf_index. htm
Superfund Poster
A 20- by 25-inch poster that
contrasts a contaminated site
with a cleaned up site. Contact
the Superfund Document
Center at the^number
provided in the First Steps
  ;tion. Request the
  "^-aeeasfciL™ ~y *~ r     ^
Technical Assistance Grants (TAGS)
Some citizen's groups in communities that are affected
by Superfund sites can get grants of as much as $50,000
to get help in dealing with the technical
aspects of site cleanup.  This could include
hiring someone to explain the technical
information and help explain your
group's feelings and ideas to the
officials in charge of cleaning up
the site, as well as getting supplies
-afld equipment to help with these
efforts. For more information on
these grants, contact your
Regional CIC and ask for a
copy of the Superfund TAG
Handbook and the TAG
factsheets.
www. epa.gov/superfund/tools/tag/index.htm

Technical  Outreach  Services
for Communities (TOSC)
This program helps communities that are affected by
hazardous substances, but do not have a TAG. The
TOSC program can help your community learn about
the hazardous materials in your community. The
program has five Hazardous Substance Research
Centers (HSRCs), which are made up of a network of
29 universities nationwide.  Each HSRC works with
two of EPA's Regions and does research and training on
many hazardous substance issues. Call your Regional
CIC, listed on the map on the back for more details.
www. hsrc. org/hsrc/html/tosc/ustosc.html

Technical Assistance
for Public Participation (TAPP)
TAPP is a Department of Defense program to help
community members of Restoration Advisory Boards
and Technical Review Committees understand the
technical aspects of clean-up efforts at military bases.
TAPP uses government issued purchase orders to hire
experts to advise the community members on technical
issues. TAPP provides  up to $25,000 a  year or one
percent of the total cost of completing the cleanup at the
base, whichever is less. Total funding for any base
is limited to $ 100,000. For information, call
(703)697-9106.
www. dtic. mil/envirodod/rab/tools. html

-------
         ZUSrVW (008) I0 ZLZl-ZSS (90Z)
                  VAV '•ao "en 'xv
                     0 1
         sloe-tee (oos) « sn^
                 'n 'AN 'IH 'VO 'ZV
                               8-isc Coos) -10 z:ie9-£ie (eoe)
                                 AM. "xn 'as 'ON "XH "oo
                                          g uoi6ea
                             ftw-erz (oos)»eoo/c-iss (eie)
         soxa 'aoiSa'g
joM /C[ao sjsqraaa ggg pire 008
                                                                  sose-eee (oos) » £SI8-S99 (nz)
                                                                  iet?8-rt9 (oos) » jioc-e^e (zie)
                                                                       M&.'HO'NW'IH'NI'TI
                                                                               9 uoiSejf
                                                                       eeze "Jo fret«-set (oos)
                                                                 RL 'OS 'OK 'AH 'SH 'VO 'Td 'TV
                                                                               t? upi
                                                                  eoss-ees (008) •» reis-fr
                                                                     AM VA 'vd 'aw 'oa 'aa
                                                                  600S-9K COOS) •» SL9t-L£9 Celt)
                                                                 spuBpi ntSji/v 'oorg oysn^ 'AM 'fH
                                                                               2 uoiBejj

                                                                  i^et-zie fess) -10 wo r-8
(soio) saoJVNiaaooo
SEPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Mail Code 5201G
Washington, DC 20460

Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
                                                                AiiNniAiiAioo

-------