PRCJ^-

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OSWER Environmental Justice
Success Stories Report
(FY 2002-2003)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
Washington, DC 20460
October 2004
United States	Innovation, Partnership, and	EPA500-F-04-021
Environmental Protection	Communication Office	www.epa.gov/oswer
Agency	(5101T)	October 2004

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Note from OSWER's Acting Assistant Administrator
I am pleased to share the second issue of OSWER's Environmental Justice Success Stories Report
(2002-2003). This updated report highlights successful environmental justice projects through-
out the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's waste programs. We've joined with many
partners over the last two years to bring these successes to you.
OSWER's commitment to environmental justice is more than a decade old. An OSWER direc-
tive, in place since 1994, requires that environmental justice be considered in all of its pro-
grams, rulemakings, and activities. Prior to the first Environmental Justice Success Stories Report
(FY 1999-2001), OSWER tracked its environmental justice accomplishments in "Waste Programs
Environmental Justice Accomplishments Reports." In 2002, OSWER began to document the
program's environmental justice successes differently, focusing on ways to promote partnerships,
assess benefits, and incorporate lessons learned into program activities.
We are proud of the successes compiled in this report. They represent OSWER's continued
support, commitment, and accountability in addressing environmental justice issues. By apply-
ing the concepts of environmental justice to all activities sponsored by our waste programs,
OSWER has gained a reputation as a trailblazer in the eyes of the public and other EPA offices.
Consequently, we believe that the projects and partnerships represented in the success stories
you are about to read are worth emulating more widely across the Agency.
Thomas R Dunne
Acting Assistant Administrator

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Table of Contents
About This Report	4
What Is Environmental Justice	5
Environmental Justice Success Stories Included in this Report	7
Environmental Justice Success Stories:
Brownfields Revitalization 	9
Superfund	21
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act	31
Environmental Justice Awareness Training	35
Community Involvement, Outreach, and Planning	41
Glossary	46
Index of Projects by Office or Region 	49

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About This Report
The Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) Environmental Justice Success Stories is an
update of the first report published two years ago. It recounts activities that occurred during fiscal years 2002-
2003. The compilation of these projects illustrates OSWER's continued support, commitment, and accountabil-
ity in addressing the issue of environmental justice and its integration into all activities sponsored by our waste
programs. A close reading of this report will offer insight into the broad range of lessons and tools available to
EPA.
Since September 2002, annual Environmental Justice (EJ) Action Plans have been developed by each regional
office and Assistant Administrator's office as part of the updated Agency policy. In OSWER, each program
office prepared its own EJ Action Plan as part of the Assistant Administrator's five priorities. This Success Stories
Report highlights OSWER's ongoing efforts to incorporate environmental justice into its programs by document-
ing our accomplishments, the benefits of these experiences, and key lessons learned.
This report details 30 success stories organized into five different sections: (1) Brownfields Training and Revital-
ization; (2) Superfund; (3) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); (4) Environmental Justice Awareness
Training; and (5) Community Involvement, Outreach, and Planning. The common threads among the success
stories detailed in this report include: (1) communicating with EJ communities in the decision-making process; (2)
developing effective partnerships with all stakeholders; and (3) understanding that communities believe environ-
mental protection is holistic, and therefore effective outreach may involve providing tools not directly related to
the program at hand.
These are but a few of the important lessons we've learned from successful projects in environmental justice
communities. These inspiring stories demonstrate OSWER's successful integration of environmental justice into
its programs. OSWER hopes that by sharing these stories others will learn from our experiences and strive to
emulate our success.

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What is Environmental Justice?
Environmental Justice is 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. Fair treatment means that no group of people, including a racial, ethnic, or a
socioeconomic group, should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences
resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and
tribal programs and policies.
Environmental justice communities are minority and/or low income communities that often are excluded from
the environmental policy setting and/or decision-making process and are subject to a disproportionate impact
from one or more environmental hazards. These communities experience a disparate implementation of
environmental regulations, requirements, practices, and activities.
Environmental justice is about real people facing real problems and designing practical solutions for challeng-
ing environmental problems. The environmental justice movement advocates programs that promote environ-
mental protection within the context of sustainable development. Using various methods, including traditional
knowledge about the ecosystem and community mobilization, the environmental justice community has become
an imposing force in the protection of both urban and rural environments.

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Environmental Justice Success Stories Included in this Report
Brownfields Revitalization
EPA Seed Funding Helps Elizabeth, New Jersey, Grow Affordable Housing (Region 2)	 9
North Hempstead, New York: Brownfields Redevelopment Defined by Community to Serve
Community (Region 2)	 10
Trenton, New Jersey, Magic Marker Land Revitalization Demonstration Project (Region 2)		11
Brownfields Program Development in Puerto Rico (Region 2) 		13
The Seneca Nation of Indians, New York, Brownfields Revitalization (Region 2)		14
ReGenesis Revitalization Project, Spartanburg, SC (Region 4)		15
Environmental Justice Revitalization Project in the City of Waukegan, Illinois (Region 5)		16
The Haven of Grace, St. Louis, Missouri (Region 7)		1 7
St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation, St. Louis, Missouri (Region 7)		1 7
Enforcing the Lead Disclosure Rule to Protect Tenants, and Especially Young Children,
from Potential Toxic Exposure (Region 10) 	 18
Negotiated Rulemaking Committee on All Appropriate Inquiry (Office of Brownfields Cleanup
and Restoration)	 19
Superfund
Fish Smart Campaign, New Bedford, Massachusetts (Region 1)	21
Partnering with the St. Regis Mohawk Nation to Remediate Superfund Sites in Massena,
New York (Region 2)	22
Vision 2020: Anniston Children's Health Project,, Anniston, Alabama (Region 4)	23
Airborne Lead Contamination: Master Metals Superfund Site in Northeast Detroit,
Michigan (Region 5)	25
Outreach to the Hispanic Community. Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site (Region 10)	26
The Development of the Contaminated Sediments Video: Impacts and Solutions
(Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovations)	27
Task Force Report on Ritualistic Uses of Mercury (Office of Superfund Remediation and
Technology Innovations)	28
2003 Superfund Jobs Training Initiative Project at the Abex Superfund Site in
Portsmouth, Virginia (Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovations)	29

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RCRA - Resource Conservation & Recovery Act
RCRA Partnerships to Address Solid Waste Landfills and Used Oil Management in the U.S.
Virgin Islands (Region 2)	 31
2003 Compliance Assistance and Environmental Enforcement Sweep, Paterson,
New Jersey(Region 2)	 32
Migrant Farm Worker Safety Notice (Region 8)	 33
EJT - EJ Awareness Training (Workshops, Tools, and Guidance)
Environmental Justice Guidance Compendium (Region 1)	 35
Environmental Justice Mapping Tool (Region 1) 	36
Environmental Justice All States Meetings (Region 3)	 36
Cumulative Risk Workshop, Philadelphia, PA, May 2003 (Region 3)	38
OSWER Environmental Justice Training (Innovation, Partnerships, and Communication Office) 	 38
CIOP - Community Involvement, Outreach, and Planning
Examining Environmental Justice at Federal Facilities (Federal Facilities Restoration
and Reuse Office)	41
Auto Body Shop Initiative (Region 3)	 42
Teachers Environmental Institutes (Region 4)	 43
St. Louis Community AIR Outreach (Region 7)	 44

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Brownfields Revitalization
OSWER's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and
other stakeholders to work together to cleanup abandoned properties that bring blight and decay to their
surrounding communities. Many of these sites are brownfields, which means, by definition, that all or a portion
of them have actual or perceived contamination and a real potential for reuse after cleanup. Through this
initiative, OSWER provides grants of up to $200,000 for assessment demonstration pilots and job training
pilots. The assessment demonstration pilot grants are used to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and
redevelopment models. The job training pilot grants provide training for residents of communities affected by
brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the
environmental field. In the projects described below, EPA worked with States, communities, and other stake-
holders to deal with Brownfields. EPA's role was generally to fund the assessment and cleanup of contamina-
tion, while the other stakeholders worked to redevelop and reuse the sites.
Region 2
EPA Seed Funding Helps Elizabeth,
Affordable Housing
Project Activity
The City of Elizabeth, New Jersey, is an urban indus-
trial city located south of Newark with 66 brownfields
sites listed on its brownfields inventory. In June 1997,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
selected the City of Elizabeth to receive a Brownfields
Assessment Demonstration Pilot grant. With this grant,
the City was able to assess seven of its 66 brownfields
sites. City stakeholders selected the Pilot's sites and
assisted in formulating redevelopment plans. The
project was completed in June 2002 and a final
report was submitted to EPA by the City of Elizabeth
Department of Policy and Planning.
One of the sites that was assessed and investigated
during the Pilot consisted of several auto repair
garages and a dilapidated tavern. The Housing
Authority, in partnership with the City, became inter-
ested in this property in 1999, and the environmental
assessments and investigations were performed under
a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the New
Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ
DEP) through the State's Voluntary Cleanup Program.
The site was eventually redeveloped into Marina
Village, a development with 35 units of affordable,
attractive housing, including 34 low-income housing
tax credit units, 20 of which are dedicated to families
eligible for public housing, and one of which is
dedicated for housing an on-site superintendent.
Construction of Marina Village was completed in Fall
New Jersey, Grow
2002 and by March 2003, the development was
100% occupied. The EPA funds were critical to
igniting the development process and ultimately
contributed to increasing the availability of affordable
housing in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
As part of its outreach efforts, the City used existing
mechanisms to communicate with residents, including
cable news, city council meetings, newspaper
articles, neighborhood council meetings, and the
City's public information line. Community meetings
were held in conjunction with other meetings in the
neighborhoods surrounding the selected sites.
Community outreach activities were intended to
provide an open forum for Elizabeth residents to
express their views and concerns about brownfields
properties. Community outreach literature included
a Brownfields Pilot Program Poster Board, a
Brownfields Informational Handout, and a glossary
of terms with acronyms in English, Spanish, and
Portuguese.
The Marina Village housing development is part of
the Elizabethport HOPE VI Neighborhood Revitaliza-
tion Program, which is supported by the Department
of Housing and Urban Development. The acquisition
and clean-up process was a true multi-agency effort.
According to Jose Sabater with the City of Elizabeth
Housing Authority, "Without any one of the compo-
nents the project would not have happened. In
addition, the Elizabethport HOPE VI program has a
1:3 leveraging ratio; therefore every leveraging

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opportunity had to be taken advantage of or else the
program would not reach completion."
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The Elizabeth Housing Authority held monthly meet-
ings with tenants of the Pioneer Homes and Migliore
Manor to update them on Pilot progress. These
housing complexes are the largest in the Elizabethport
area of the City, and are located in the vicinity of the
approved brownfields properties.
The members of the Urban Coordinating Council
Neighborhood Empowerment Program include The
Boys and Girls Club, The Tenant Association, Council-
man Manny Grova, and various other community-
based organizations. This group of concerned
constituents held public meetings in the Elizabethport
area of the City to inform the community of any new
Pilot developments.
The Elizabethport Neighborhood Preservation Resi-
dence Organization held public meetings to deal with
any issues that directly or indirectly affected the
community of the Elizabethport area. This commu-
nity-based organization meets once a month.
Brand New Day and Urban Renewal Associates
provided input to the redevelopment process.
What Are the Project Benefits?
EPA's assessment grant helped the City leverage
funds, improved urban environments, and created
new affordable housing.
Lessons Learned
Through focused effort, municipalities can coordi-
nate resources and put brownfield properties back
into uses that meet community needs.
Brownfield sites can provide opportunities for
creating new affordable housing.
Project Contacts
Nuria Muniz
U.S. EPA Region 2
(212) 637-4302
muniz.nuria@epa.gov
Susan McKeown
City of Elizabeth
(908) 820-4177
Region 2
North Hempstead, New York: Brownfields Redevelopment Defined
by Community to Serve Community
Project Activity
The Town of North Hempstead, a fiscal year 2000
brownfields assessment grant recipient, partnered with
Sustainable Long Island, an environmental justice
organization, to hold a community planning charrette.
A charrette is a participatory planning exercise that
helps to develop a shared vision among participants.
The planning and partnership building work seeded
by Sustainable Long Island helped to lay the founda-
tion for an unprecedented Memorandum of Under-
standing (MOU) between the Town and a resident
based non-profit, Unified New Cassel Community
Revitalization Corporation, regarding the nature of

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redevelopment at seven brownfields sites that were EPA
grant-funded assessment sites. Subsequently, the Town
issued a Request for Development Proposals (RFPs)
and more than 50 people attended the meeting with
prospective developers.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The Town of North Hempstead, Sustainable Long
Island, and Unified New Cassel Communitity Revital-
ization Corporation were involved with this project.
What Are the Project Benefits?
•	Assessment and reuse planning was accomplished
for seven priority brownfields sites.
•	The project increased local knowledge and
opportunity to creatively and proactively address
other brownfields.
•	The project provided a forum to define locally
appropriate development.
•	The project's demonstrated success has encour-
aged the Town and community organization to
apply for other federal and state funding.
Lessons Learned
Intensive community involvement does not necessarily
prolong a project's time frame. In fact, early and on-
going involvement seems to expedite the process.
The Town's participatory methods and use of tools,
such as visioning and the MOU, enhanced the
viability of this project.
Project Contacts
Jenny Tsolisos
EPA Region 2
(212) 637-4349
David I. Wasserman
Town of North Hempstead
(516)869-7679
ngd@northhempstead.com
Reverend Patrick Duggan
Sustainable Long Island (SLI)
(631) 424-1799
Region 2
Trenton, New Jersey: Magic Marker Land Revitalization
Demonstration Project
Project Activity
The City of Trenton has been working closely with the
Northwest Community Improvement Association
(NCIA), a resident-based organization, in the cleanup
and redevelopment planning process to reclaim the
former Magic Marker site and revitalize the surround-
ing Monument neighborhood. The location of a lead
acid battery manufacturer for fifty years, this seven-
acre site briefly housed the Magic Marker company in
the 1980s. Later, the property was abandoned and
taken over by the City of Trenton. The now unproduc-
tive site is in the center of a community that today is
93.5% African American; 27.4% of residents are living
under the poverty level.
The City began environmental work at the Magic
Marker property with funds from one of the first
Brownfields Assessment Pilot Grants made by EPA in
1 995; community involvement dates back to that
original activity. In 1997, EPA conducted a significant
removal action that cleaned up 24,000 pounds of
lead-contaminated debris, over 1,300 gallons of
hazardous liquids, and thousands of pounds of other
contaminants. In 1 999, the Magic Marker building, a
former battery factory, was taken down. Activities
included demolition of the slab and removal of the
lead-contaminated soil underneath. In Fall 2003, the
Agency conducted another removal action, taking
away over 250 tons of lead-contaminated soil, an
underground storage tank, and more than 5,1 00
gallons of oil, which was threatening the ecosystem of
the nearby Assupink Creek. In total, EPA has contrib-
uted over $1.1 million to Trenton for the Magic
Marker cleanup.
The Magic Marker site was one of four targeted
brownfield sites in Trenton. Through EPA's Brownfields
grant, Trenton provided funds to Isles, Inc., to conduct
education and outreach at these four sites. This
activity was strongest with the community surrounding
the Magic Marker site, as Isles found a receptive

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community anxious lo make a difference in their
neighborhood. Isles and the New Jersey Institute of
Technology facilitated the informed involvement of
residents 'hrough capacity building workshops. EPA
and a number of state agencies provided funding
and technical assistance. Work with the New Jersey
Institute of Technology helped provide the leadership
and environmental education the citizens needed to
participate effectively with the responsible party and
government officials working 011 the project.
In 1998, Trenton formed the BEST committee to
function as an advisory group to the City in matters of
brownfieids redevelopment. Isles and NCIA both
have seats at this table, and from the outset, the
Magic Marker site has been a primary topic of
discussion at the monthly meetings.
The partnership works because all parties are dedi-
cated to reaching the same goal; the cleanup and
redevelopment of this particular brownfield site. Isles
and the NCIA are organized, dedicated groups that
ensure the redevelopment of this community remains
a City priority. City and often State representatives
attend every NCIA monthly meeting to ensure continu-
ing communications between the residents and the
government.
The State has provided funding to create the redevel-
opment plan, and will be providing funds to develop
the elementary school on the adjacent parcel. They
also oversee the environmental work at the site, and
are targeting the site as a State demonstration pilot
for area-wide brownfieids redevelopment efforts, a
designation that would provide increased visibility and
resources to the redevelopment efforts here. The City,
as the property owner, has the lead role in developing
the redevelopment plan, which should meet the needs
of the neighborhood and the City, identify the re-
sources necessary to implement it, and sustain the
partnerships necessary for carrying out the
community's vision and orchestrating the plan's
implementation.
Jane M. Kenny, EPA Region 2 Administrator, com-
mented on the progress, saying, "I am gratified that
EPA has been able to provide funds to help the City
assess, clean up and redevelop the Magic Marker site
and others like it. Working together, we are eliminat-
ing community eyesores, cleaning up contamination,
and contributing to the rebirth of once blighted
neighborhoods."
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The project was supported by the combined efforts of
multiple federal agencies, including:
•	U.S. EPA;
•	U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment;
•	the State of New Jersey, particularly the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP),
the Office of State Planning, and the New Jersey
Redevelopment Authority;
•	the City of Trenton; and
•	two community organizations: Isles, Inc., and the
Northwest Community Improvement Association.
Together these groups have taken the critical steps
and secured the funding necessary to remediate and
redevelop the area. The EPA's Brownfieids Assessment
Pilot Grant award to the City of Trenton in 1 995
seeded these partnerships.
What Are the Project Benefits?
•	The initial site assessment grant activities blos-
somed into a comprehensive area-wide neighbor-
hood revitalization effort leveraging city, state,
federal, and private resources.
•	The project is supporting redevelopment that meets
residents' needs.
•	Eliminating environmentally contaminated vacant
parcels and replacing them with housing, employ-
ment, recreational, and educational uses improves
the neighborhood in every way.
•	This community, which for years has fought against
the social, economic, and environmental injustices
with which they live, is becoming a thriving ex-
ample of smart growth and is a shining example
of the ability of citizens to work cooperatively with
government to improve their neighborhood.
•	The Magic Marker redevelopment effort is a
model for other brownfieids projects because the
results exemplify the value of implementing a
participatory brownfieids redevelopment process
to revitalize a neighborhood.
•	This project exemplifies the potential for continuing
returns from early investment in technical assistance
and capacity building workshops. In this case, the
EPA-funded Technical Outreach Services for
Communities (TOSC) program based at NJIT and

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Isles held capacity building workshops in the late
1 990's. Their activities led to the creation of the
Northwest Community Improvement Association, a
neighborhood based group that has championed
the area's revitalization. The technical assistance
strengthened the local initiative necessary to sustain
the project.
Lessons Learned
•	Early, up-front, and ongoing community involve-
ment is essential to sustain an area-wide initiative.
•	Investment in local capacity building has continu-
ing returns.
Project Contacts
Armando Jimenez
U.S. EPA Region 2
(212) 637-4309
jimenez.armando^depa.gov
J.R. Capasso
City of Trenton
(609) 989-3509
jcapassoffptrentonnj.org
James Rolling
Northwest Community Improvement Association
(609) 392-5490
Region 2
Brownfields Program Development in Puerto Rico
Project Activity
The Municipalities of Puerto Rico have grappled with
the challenge of expanding or redeveloping aban-
doned, idled, or underused industrial and commercial
facilities in their urban centers and industrial parks that
have real or perceived environmental contamination.
Since 1 997, EPA has awarded the Puerto Rico
Environmental Quality Board (PREQB) more than
$ 1,000,000 through a cooperative agreement to
implement a Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) to
facilitate the remediation and reuse of brownfields
sites with low to moderate levels of contamination in
Puerto Rico.
Under the VCP the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
will provide municipalities, developers, investors,
and property owners with an efficient and predict-
able program to clean up hazardous waste sites.
Once a site has been cleaned up under the VCP in
accordance to Puerto Rico standards, the owner will
receive a certification of completion and some kind
of liability relief.
Project Participants
The lead agency of the VCP is the PREQB. PREQB
receives technical support from the Northeast Hazard-
ous Substance Research Center and the EPA Region 2
Puerto Rico Brownfields Coordinator. PREQB also
receives consultation from technical experts and policy
and program managers from various states, such as
Texas, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and
Florida.
PREQB formed an Inter-Agency Committee to draft
regulations and develop technical guidelines. The
goal is to coordinate all appropriate offices and to
ensure that there are no conflicts with other regulations.
PREQB, in partnership with EPA, is reaching out to key
stakeholders in public agencies, municipalities, the
private sector, and community groups to seek input on
implementing the VCP in Puerto Rico. During 2002
and 2003, numerous forums were held to gather
stakeholder input about the development of a VCP
Project Benefits
•	PREQB has gained valuable information from
researching state programs and from implement-
ing Assessment Pilot activities.
•	Stakeholder input is providing PREQB with the
necessary information to design a program
appropriate for Puerto Rico.
•	The VCP program development is supporting the
inter-agency coordination necessary for successful
brownfields redevelopment.
•	Stakeholders from the Governor's office, Puerto
Rico's municipalities, the private sector, and
community organizations all have a voice at the
table.
•	The outcome of these efforts will streamline
brownfields redevelopment by providing model
approaches, programs, and tools for public and
private sector participation in hazardous waste site
cleanup. Ultimately, this effort will allow Puerto

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Rico to reclaim brownfields for a variety of uses
including open space, housing, and economic
development.
Lessons Learned
Open communication and early and ongoing
broad stakeholder involvement has been a key
factor in the smooth development of this program.
Project Contacts
Ramon Torres
U.S. EPA Region 2, Caribbean Field Office
(787) 977-5844
torres.ramon@epa.gov
Enid Villegas
Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board
(787) 767-8181 ext. 2229
eyvillegas@hotmail.com
Region 2
The Seneca Nation of Indians, New York, Brownfields Revitalization
Project Activity
In 1999, the Seneca Nation of Indians successfully
applied for competitive brownfields assessment pilot
funding. The Nation is using the $200,000 EPA award
for environmental investigations to inform redevelop-
ment planning of a former rail yard, which is at the
centerpiece of its community revitalization effort. The
rail yard is located at 20 Atlantic Street in the City of
Salamanca. Since 1963, the Nation leased the rail
yard to several successor railroads. The last lessee was
the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), which
ceased operations at the rail yard in the 1980s.
The Seneca Nation is conducting an environmental
assessment of the rail yard in order to develop a
cleanup plan that is conducive to reuse of the prop-
erty. With community and partner input, the Nation is
developing a comprehensive redevelopment plan that
is consistent with the cultural and economic goals of
the Seneca Nation. Due to the significant size of the
property, the redevelopment plan is part of a larger
regional revitalization effort.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
EPA is working closely with the Nation and has
assigned a staff person to provide assistance. To
support the Nation's overall community development
activities, Region 2 coordinated a meeting with the
Brownfields Inter-Agency Work Group, which brought
Seneca Nation leaders responsible for environmental
issues, public health, planning, and economic
development together with more than 20 federal and
state agencies to develop approaches and resources
to meet local needs.
In order to address the rail yard site, the Seneca
Nation, which has sovereign authority to regulate the
natural and cultural environments in its territories, is
working with the City of Salamanca. The Seneca
Nation has also enlisted support from the Southern
Tier West Regional Planning and Development
Board, which represents planning and development
efforts in the three-county area surrounding the rail
yard site.
Community members have been very interested in
environmental issues and in resolving the uncertainties
about the potentially contaminated site on Seneca
land. A Community Involvement Plan was created to
keep the community involved and aware of the
processes involved in the site assessment, cleanup, and
reuse process. In the summer of 2000, the first public
meeting was held to set the stage for ongoing commu-
nity involvement. Since then, community meetings have
been conducted throughout the Alleghany territory in
order to engage Seneca Nation community members,
City of Salamanca residents, and regional stakehold-
ers. In addition, the general public is reached through
local newspapers, the official Seneca Nation newsletter,
and other outreach materials.
The community interest in the environment is based on
three common principles shared among Seneca
people: preserve Seneca culture, sustain the land, and
protect the environment for future generations.
What Are the Project Benefits?
• The EPA brownfields funding and technical assis-
tance is providing initial support for a project that
is central to the economic development strategy of
the Seneca Nation as well as the broader upstate
New York region.

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Lessons Learned
• Multi-jurisdictional, multi-stakeholder cooperation
is necessary to foster brownfields redevelopment.
Project Contacts
Larry D'Andrea
U.S. EPA Region 2
(212) 637-4314
dandrea.larry@epa.gov
Lisa Maybee
Environmental Protection Department of the Seneca
Nation of Indians
(716) 532-0024 ext. 5471
sniepd 1 @froggernet.com
Natalie Hemlock
Seneco Nation Community Planning & Development
Department
(716) 532-4900 ext. 5021
cppd@localnet. com
Region 4
ReGenesis Revitalization Project, Spartanburg, SC
Project Activity
The ReGenesis Revitalization Project, which was
designated as EPA's national Revitalization Project by
the Federal Interagency Working Group on Environ-
mental Justice, continued its efforts to transform the
neighborhood's focus from negative environmental
impacts to broad community revitalization. The
disadvantaged project area in South Spartanburg
includes the Arkwright, Forest Park, and Mill Village
neighborhoods. This is a broad based public/private
partnership led by ReGenesis, Inc., City of
Spartanburg, County of Spartanburg, and EPA
Region 4. As of February 2004, the ReGenesis
project had leveraged more than $7 million in public
and private sector funding. There are eight revitaliza-
tion project elements: 1) environmental cleanup/
remediation; 2) transportation; 3) housing; 4) health;
5) public safety; 6) education/jobs/life skills; 7)
economic/commercial development; and 8) recre-
ation and green infrastructures.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
Since 2000, the number of collaborative partners has
grown to more than 100. The stakeholders include
1 1 federal government agencies and more than 1 4
state and local government parties. EPA Region 4 is
the lead federal agency for the project. Its role has
been to help coordinate the effort, provide oversight
of the remediation of the Superfund sites, assist with
capacity building, and encourage redevelopment.
What Are the Project Benefits?
•	Environmental (two Superfund sites, multiple
brownfields sites);
•	Health (concerns of abnormal/high disease
incidences, lack of health care);
•	Economic (lack of jobs, transportation access,
business development, and retail establishments);
and
•	Social (crime, poor housing, and lack of green
space, recreational facilities, and community
involvement).
As of 2004, active tasks to address these specific
issues are:
•	Continued environmental cleanup and
remediation;
•	Expansion of the new community health center in
2003 to support special areas of research;
•	Development of a sports complex and green
space;
•	Construction of Arkwright Parkway;
•	New multi-use residential/commercial develop-
ment on 130 acres and renovation of at least 300
homes;
•	Creation of a business development center/
incubator;
•	Planning for a multi-generational learning center;
and
•	An ongoing mediated dialogue between
ReGenesis, a local chemical company (Rhodia),
and EPA to share concerns and minimize risks.
The historic issues that have been targeted for positive
outcomes have been:

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Lessons Learned
To support the visioning process, it is critical to have:
charrettes with input from community and major
stakeholders; accuracy and partner buy-in of redevel-
opment master plans; and assurances that the right
people are at the table. To do this, a structure that
ensures that local government understands the
community's vision needs to be designed. This is
especially important when there is hesitancy about the
direction of the vision.
The partnership processes are instrumental to:
•	Creating an atmosphere that will allow people to
share their input freely (this may include separating
citizen dialogues from dialogues with officials);
•	Taking the time to involve an extremely well
organized 501 (c)(3) non-profit, such as
ReGenesis, which has three subdivisions—health
center, redevelopment, and special "C2" for
holding title to properties;
•	Ensuring that a well-developed revitalization plan is in
place that outlines what each potential funder can do
for the project and what they are interested in;
•	Maximizing use of in-kind resource options
•	Identifying partners who need to be at the table;
and
•	Maintaining respect and communication.
Commitment is enhanced when partners have a mutual
understanding, roles are clearly identified, quality time
is invested with partners to help project buy-in, partici-
pation, and tie-in of partner resources, and project
partners are able to take constructive criticism and be
flexible to modify tasks, yet keep the same common
goal.
Project Contacts
Brian HoItzclaw
U.S. EPA Region 4, Waste Management Division
(404) 562-8684
Cynthia Peurifoy
U.S. EPA Region 4, Regional Office of Environmental
Justice
(404) 562-9649
Region 5
Environmental Justice Revitalization Project in the City of
Waukegan, Illinois
Project Activity
The City of Waukegan is an industrial "rustbelt" city on
the shores of Lake Michigan in northeast Illinois. The
Waukegan community is seeking ways to implement a
City revitalization plan that includes transforming the
City's worn industrialized downtown waterfront into a
vigorous and inviting waterfront with new residential
condominiums, commercial establishments, recre-
ational land use, and an adjacent community sports
complex.
Project Initiative
A collaboration spearheaded by the Coalicion
Latinos Unidos de Lake County, the City of
Waukegan, the Waukegan Harbor Citizen Advisory
Group (CAG), the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. EPA,
Illinois EPA, and local and regional government has
been working to ensure that all Waukegan communi-
ties are both meaningful participants and beneficia-
ries of this revitalization process.
What are the Project Benefits?
•	Establishes an environmental justice group that
reports back to its constituency.
•	Promotes coordination among the three Superfund
sites in Waukegan (Johns-Manville site, Outboard
Marine Corporation, and Yeoman Creek).
Lessons Learned
The project will provide lessons about how better
coordination and holistic decision-making can maximize
community benefit, protect the environment, enhance
community end use of the property, increase property
values, and address environmental justice concerns.
Project Contacts
Mike Joyce
U.S. EPA Region 5
(312) 353-5546
Oliver L. Wamsley
U.S. EPA Region 5
(312) 886-0442

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Region 7
The Haven of Grace, St. Louis, Missouri
Project Activity
In a formerly run down, brownfields-laden section of
St. Louis, a glimmer of hope for redevelopment has
blossomed. Across the street from a senior citizen's
living center, a shelter for pregnant homeless women
has taken root. The Haven of Grace, a local non-
profit shelter, purchased a one-acre property in Old
North St. Louis from the City of St. Louis in order to
expand its operations. The site, which had been
abandoned for approximately 20 years, experienced
a $ 1 40,000 cleanup funded by the City of St. Louis
prior to the sale.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The project participants included the St. Louis Devel-
opment Corporation and the City of St. Louis eco-
nomic development organization. Both participants
cleaned up and marketed the property.
What Are the Project Benefits?
•	The Haven of Grace's expansion created 1 1 jobs
that were filled by nearby residents.
•	The 7,000 square foot, one-story facility, which
cost $ 1.2 million to build, provides shelter for up
to ten pregnant and homeless women and their
children.
The new shelter has become the heart of a social
services campus. It is surrounded by a senior
citizens' living center and the Grace Hill Neighbor-
hood Health Center, which provides care for low
income or uninsured residents.
The shelter features classroom and office space, a
common area for living and dining, and space to
expand its Aftercare Program. The Aftercare
Program provides former residents with daycare
assistance, and helps them obtain college scholar-
ships and permanent housing, ons Learned
Lessons Learned
Transforming an abandoned property can help
create jobs and revitalize economically-depressed
communities.
Coordination among partners, and opportunities
to link partners, is an important component to the
success of a program.
Project Contact
Kerry Herndon
U.S. EPA Region 7, Brownfields
(913) 551-7286
Herndon.Kerry@epa.gov
Region 7
St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation, St. Louis, Missouri
Project Activity
Martin Luther King (MLK) Drive in St. Louis, Missouri,
has recently become a magnet for brownfields
redevelopment. In 2002, a $2.8 million sports
complex was completed at the St. Louis Commerce
Center, a large, campus-style business park located
on a former brownfield site along the drive. This
15,000-square foot sports complex features office
space, computer labs, classrooms, banquet facilities,
and a full-size gymnasium that is free and available
for public use.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The project participants included the St. Louis Gate-
way Classic Sports Foundation and the St. Louis
Development Corporation.
What Are the Project Benefits?
• Through local partnerships and shared goals, the
St. Louis revitalization effort has created a domino
effect. Single and multi-family housing units are
being built nearby, replacing neglected and
burned out houses.

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•	Funded almost entirely by the Foundation, the
complex's construction involved mostly minority
contractors. The complex created ten new jobs
and employed local minority residents.
•	The sports foundation provides educational
scholarships to inner-city youth and sponsors sports
programs. To date, the foundation has given
more than $4 million back to the community.
•	Building the complex helped stabilize the MLK
Drive neighborhood. The area was once
blighted, but today people are moving back in.
•	The new sports complex has joined the list of MLK
Drive brownfields redevelopment successes that
have improved the local environment and the lives
of the local residents.
Lessons Learned
•	Through partnerships and shared goals,
brownfields redevelopment efforts can help
stabilize economically-depressed communities,
provide local opportunities, and improve the local
environment and the lives of the local residents.
•	Coordination among partners and opportunities to
link partners is an important component to the
success of a program.
Project Contact
Kerry Herndon
U.S. EPA Region 7, Brownfields
(913) 551-7286
Herndon.Kerry@epa.gov
Region 10
Enforcing the Lead Disclosure Rule to Protect Tenants, and
Especially Young Children, from Potential Toxic Exposure
Project Activity
EPA Region 10 settled a Toxic Substances Control Act
(TSCA) case against Portland landlords, John and
Brenda Peak, for violations of section 1018 of Title X of
the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act
of 1 992. The case involved interaction with HUD and
the U.S. Attorney's Office. The complaint against John
and Brenda Peak came from tenants living in apart-
ments owned by the Peaks though the Portland Urban
League, which had received a Region 10 Environmen-
tal Justice Small Grant for health-based outreach. The
tenants were worried and concerned that lead-based
paint could pose serious health threats to children or
pregnant women and complained that they had not
been informed of lead-based paint hazards when they
moved in. Region 10 alleged violations at four
different properties owned by the Peaks. The Peaks
have agreed to pay a $32,000 penalty to settle this
case.
The Peaks own apartments throughout Portland that
are classified by the EPA and HUD as "target hous-
ing." Target housing includes dwellings built prior to
the 1978, when Consumer Products Safety Commis-
sion banned the manufacture and sale of lead-based
paint. The properties are located in low-income
neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon, where there is an
increased likelihood of children having elevated
blood-lead levels from deteriorating lead-based
paint present in apartments built prior to 1978. This
area of Portland is considered to be an environmental
justice area. EPA staff inspected the apartments and
issued subpoenas to obtain required information.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
A multi-disciplinary team from EPA Region 10.
What are the Project Benefits?
•	This environmental justice case serves as the
region's first significant deterrent for failure to
disclose lead based paint hazards where children
and pregnant women are involved.
•	Region 10 had its first significant lead administra-
tive penalty.
•	The Peaks paid a $32,000 penalty.
•	The tenants in the apartments throughout the
Portland area now understand lead paint hazards
associated with their old buildings.

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I3.ll
Lessons Learned
As a preventative program, this action will encour-
age other landlords to provide the required notifi-
cation about lead-based paint hazards and help
prevent poisoning where children live and play.
This case serves as an excellent example for EPA to
follow in future similar circumstances.
Project Contacts
Montel Livingston
U.S. EPA Region 10
(206) 553-1716
Barbara Ross
U.S. EPA Region 10
(206) 553-1985
Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Restoration
Negotiated Rulemaking Committee on All Appropriate Inquiry
Project Activ ity
The U.S. EPA established the Negotiated Rulemaking
Committee on All Appropriate Inquiry (Committee) to
develop a proposed rule to establish standards and
practices for carrying out all appropriate inquiry as
required by Section 223 of the Small Business Liability
Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (PL. 107-
118). A negotiated rulemaking is a process that
brings together representatives of various interest
groups and a federal agency to negotiate the text of
a proposed rule. The Committee reached a final
consensus on all issues on November 1 4, 2003. The
Agency is using this consensus-based language in its
proposed regulations. Following review by the Office
of Management and Budget, a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (NPRM) will be published in the Federal
Register. A final All Appropriate Inquiry Rule will be
developed by EPA after considering and responding
to all public comments.
Who is involved in the Project
Initiative?
The Negotiated Rulemaking Committee on All Appro-
priate Inquiry was comprised of more than 25 mem-
bers who represented parties interested in the
rulemaking. Members came from U.S. EPA, profes-
sional societies, non-profit organizations, states, arid
one tribe. These members ensured a balanced repre-
sentation across affected and interested stakeholder
groups. The Committee operated by consensus.
What are the Project Benefits?
• The Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for the All
Appropriate Inquiry Rule allows affected parties
more direct input into the drafting of a federal
regulation, thus ensuring greater sensitivity to the
needs and limitations of both the parties and the
agency.
•	A final All Appropriate Inquiry rule will clarify
requirements necessary to establish the innocent
landowner defense under CERCLA and liability
defenses and limitations for bona fide prospective
purchasers and contiguous land owners.
•	A final All Appropriate Inquiry rule will balance the
need to put abandoned properties back into
productive reuse while also addressing concerns for
public health and the environment.
•	A final All Appropriate Inquiry rule will provide
clear and comprehensive standards that will
ensure a high level of certainty in identifying
potential environmental concerns without imposing
time consuming and unnecessarily expensive
regulatory requirements.
Lessons Learned
• The inclusion of environmental justice advocacy
groups as members of the Negotiated Rulemaking
Committee resulted in increased communication
and information exchange that promoted environ-
mental justice perspectives and the opportunity to
inculcate such perspectives into the rulemaking.
Project Contact
Patricia Overmeyer
U.S. EPA
(202) 566-2774

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20

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Superfund
In 1 993, EPA announced reforms for its Superfund program that addressed concerns expressed by affected
members of the public. These reforms fundamentally changed Superfund. Through partnerships with states,
tribes, other federal agencies, local governments, communities, land owners, lenders, developers, and
potentially responsible parties (PRPs) for contamination, EPA has improved the cleanup process. Now, clean-
ups are being done faster, without compromise to the principle that those responsible for pollution are held
accountable.
Several of these reforms enhance public participation and prevent minority and low-income populations from
bearing the brunt of pollution. This section of the report highlights environmental justice projects being con-
ducted under the Superfund program to improve communication with stakeholders and to encourage greater
involvement of all communities in the Superfund process. It includes projects where EPA is working in partner-
ship with local governments, communities, developers, and others to rethink the reuse value of cleaned up
properties.
Region 1
Fish Smart Campaign, New Bedford, Massachusetts
Project Activity
The New Bedford Harbor Superfund site is one of the
most significant Superfund sites in New England. The
primary human health risk is consumption of PCB-
contaminated seafood, which has PCB levels 40 times
higher than Superfund standards for carcinogenic and
non-carcinogenic risk. Dermal contact with intertidal
sediments is the secondary risk, which is four times
higher than the Superfund standards.
In response to the human health risks associated with
eating seafood from New Bedford Harbor, the Fish
Smart campaign was developed. This campaign
targets women of child-bearing age, the fishing
community, and children and explains the health-
based fishing ban in areas commonly used by low-
income minority families and by subsistence fisher-
men. In developing the Fish Smart Campaign, EPA
held focus groups with area social service providers
and local fisherman to "truth-test" messages, educa-
tional materials, and outreach approaches. These
conversations served to better shape the strategies for
educating the public, and to refine the underlying
understanding of each minority population group
(Portuguese, Cape Verdean, Mayan Indian, and
Latino) and the dynamics among them. The input
received led to a broad-based, culturally sensitive
educational campaign that will serve to protect
vulnerable populations from consuming contamina-
tion seafood.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection partnered with the local Women, Infants,
and Children's office, the New Bedford Health
Department, the Greater New Bedford Health Clinic,
the New Bedford Immigrant Assistance Center, and
the MA Department of Public Health. Local partners
educated clients about the health risks associated with
the consumption of PCB-contaminated seafood and
distributed educational materials developed by the
state agencies and EPA. The media outreach cam-
paign included placing Public Service Announcements
in bus stations and the entire bus fleet serving the New
Bedford area and displaying posters in public
housing and homeless shelters; a media print cam-
paign; school programs; and a Grand Rounds
approach to educate family practice physicians.
EPA secured agreements with local marinas and bait
shops to display posters and distribute pamphlets
aimed at educating the fishing community about the
fishing ban due to the health risks from consuming
PCB-contaminated seafood. Pamphlets will be
mailed to a mailing list of more than 6,000 people
residing in the vicinity of New Bedford Harbor and
new, easier-to-understand signs will be posted along
the shore in popular fishing locations.

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What Are the Project Benefits?
Lessons Learned
•	New Bedford area residents are more aware of
the health risks associated with eating PCB-
contaminated seafood and are thus more likely to
decrease their consumption behavior and, conse-
quently, improve their health.
•	The partners who are engaged in implementing
the Fish Smart campaign have increased the
number of educators armed with the needed
information to influence human behavior and
protect human health.
•	The incorporation of local partners in developing
and disseminating particular messages is critical to
a successful outreach campaign. As different
communication needs arise during the on-going
cleanup of the vast New Bedford Harbor
Superfund site, this approach will be employed
and tailored to the specifics of the need and
circumstances.
Communication and coordination with both the
residential and business community are extremely
helpful in getting the message out.
Project Contact
Sfacy Greendlinger
Region 1, OSRR
(617) 918-1403
Region 2
Partnering with the St. Regis Mohawk Nation to Remediate Superfund
Sites in Massena, New York
Project Activities
Massena, New York, which is on the St. Lawrence
River, is the location of three Superfund sites, two of
which have experienced remedial activities. The
General Motors site, which is located immediately
adjacent to the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation,
Akwesasne, where approximately 4,000 Mohawks
live, experienced a large-scale removal of contami-
nated sediments, soils, and sludge. The Reynolds
Metals Company site, located approximately one
mile upstream from Akwesasne, experienced a large-
scale sediment remediation effort.
Who is involved
Representatives of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe's
Environment Division, through Support Agency
Assistance grants, have worked hand-in-hand with
EPA's Project Managers, and EPA's field oversight
teams to monitor the responsible parties' performance
during the remediation efforts. To date, working in a
partnership with the Tribe has included the removal of
contaminated soils, sediments, and sludges from
areas in and around the General Motors and
Reynolds Metals sites.
The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe has become a major
partner in EPA's technical oversight team during the
remediation of these sites. The Tribe provided
support by taking EPA inspectors on the Tribe's
research and enforcement boat, so that a joint
inspection of the dredging activities at the Reynolds
Metals site could be performed. The Tribe has
performed sampling and analysis of suspected
contaminants and coordinated the collection of air
samples on Tribal lands. The Tribe also has done
extensive outreach to inform local Tribal residents of
excavation work near Tribal lands on the Raquette
River, a tributary of the St. Lawrence River.
Project Benefits
• The 270-acre General Motors facility, which was
originally built to produce aluminum cylinder
heads for the Chevrolet Corvair, has been in
operation since 1958. Volatile-organic- and
PCB-contaminated wastes and sludges were
disposed of throughout the site. The Region has
continued oversight of cleanup activities at the site
and the cleanup of PCB-contaminated sediments
in the Raquette River.

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•	The 1,600-acre Reynolds Metals Company facility
has been an active aluminum production plant
since 1958. Various types of industrial waste
resulting from production activities and plant
expansion were disposed of throughout the facility.
Major areas of contamination on the facility are
being investigated and remediated under the
authority of the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation. In addition to
contamination throughout the facility, the Reynolds
Metals Company also discharged contaminants to
the St. Lawrence River through four permitted
outfalls. These discharges contaminated sedi-
ments in the St. Lawrence River adjacent to the
Reynolds facility with PCBs, aluminum, furans, and
polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Under EPA's over-
sight, dredging and remedial activities have been
undertaken.
•	The cleanup plans for the General Motors and
Reynolds Metals sites were designed with the
consideration of fish consumption by the local
population. By dredging and containing contami-
nated sediments in the St. Lawrence River system,
the potential for continued contamination of
edible fish and wildlife is reduced.
Project Contacts
General Motors site:
Mark Granger, Remedial Project Manager
EPA Region 2
(212) 637-3351
Region 4
Vision 2020: Anniston Children's
Project Activity
The Anniston Children's Health Project was designated
a National Revitalization Project by the Federal
Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice
in 2003 and will serve communities surrounding the
Anniston PCB Superfund Site. This project, which
spans the educational and medical arenas, will
guarantee that every child growing up in Anniston has
the maximum opportunity to develop to his or her full
potential. The major thrust of the project's work has
been planning a program to:
1) Provide the children of Anniston with world-class
screening, early detection, and remedial treatment
for developmental delays and learning difficulties;
Lessons Learned
•	Through daily contact and the development of a
real partnership in the field, decisions regarding
cleanup techniques and strategies can be made
quickly. On a larger scale, day-to-day coordina-
tion and team work will hopefully result in a trust-
based relationship between EPA and the Tribe.
Having the Tribe's technical representatives as a
point of contact for concerned community mem-
bers also can bring some sense of ease to the
community, knowing that Tribal concerns are
represented and voiced during the cleanup.
•	Disagreement need not entirely halt a project's
progress. EPA and the Tribe were able to move
forward on areas of agreement while wrestling
with other issues. Agreeing to move forward with
portions of the cleanup where controversy did not
exist, and having the Tribe's day-to-day support in
the field allowed for the removal of approximately
1 70,000 tons of PCB-contaminated soils, sedi-
ments, and sludges from areas in and around the
General Motors and Reynolds Metals sites.
Reynolds Metals Company site:
Pam Tames, Remedial Project Manager
EPA Region 2
(212) 637-4321
Ken Jock, Director
Environment Division, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
(518) 358-5937
Health Project, Anniston, Alabama
2)	Provide the people of Anniston with state-of-the-art
information to promote self reliance and optimize
the use of community resources;
3)	Develop programs that promote comprehensive
pre-natal care and parental involvement;
4)	Conduct rigorous scientific research on the asso-
ciation between environmental exposure and
developmental delays, learning difficulties, and
lung function; and
5)	Be community-led and based on a true partner-
ship of researchers and service providers of early
detection and intervention for children's develop-
mental, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral
abnormalities.

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Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The highly effective coalition of diverse partners working
on this project include those from local/state government,
community groups, non-profits, the medical community,
health and human service agencies, institutions of higher
education, the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty
Unit (PEHSU) at Emory University, local industry, business
associations, U.S. EPA, and ATSDR.
Project Benefits
From its early roots as an informal coalition, to a
strategy-based, multi-stakeholder Mayor's Steering
Committee in 2002, the Children's Health Project has
developed into a freestanding non-profit entity in
Anniston, collaborating closely with existing health,
education, and social service agencies, and with the
school systems and practicing physicians of the City.
The accomplishments include:
•	The PEHSU provided continuing medical educa-
tion to local physicians on environmental impacts
on children's health and worked closely with
grassroots community activists to create a collabo-
rative position paper, which led to the Mayor's
Steering Committee.
•	Early developmental work included: community
forums; articulation of a shared vision; a draft 1 5-
page work plan that included objectives, mile-
stones, expected benefits and a time-line; an
Assessment/Available Resources Directory; and
research on best practices/funding opportunities.
•	Recent work has included: two children's health
fairs with educational booths and health screen-
ings; grant proposals; development of manage-
ment and administrative structure; and the creation
of a funding stream to provide on-going financial
resources.
•	After creating a comprehensive proposal (with 23
local letters of support) in 2003, the project was
selected as one of 15 national revitalization
collaborative-based projects by the Federal
Interagency Working Group on Environmental
Justice (IWG). The planned benefits are better
leveraging of resources, strengthening partnerships,
and identifying best practices of collaboration. A
temporary Executive Director was hired in 2004,
To enhance resources, the project has acquired:
•	In-kind resources from local organizations to fund
the project plan and its outreach programs (e.g.,
health fairs and a new non-profit organization).
•	$1 80,000 from EPA Region 4's Waste Manage-
ment Division for administering the Southeast
activities of the PEHSU. Additionally, in 2003, the
Division funded a CERCLA research grant of
$65,000 for the efforts of Vision 2020.
Lessons Learned
•	Hiring PEHSU as an independent facilitator helped
the diverse local partners and EPA to coalesce into
a distinct partnership. PEHSU was very instrumental
in helping organize the collaborative partnership
and keep the project on track with progress reports,
minutes, and updates regarding on-going activities.
•	Acquiring a high level of local political leadership in
the project helped keep the momentum of the
project going. The Mayor helped ensure high
partner participation at forums, scheduled meet-
ings, calls, and events and maintained visibility of
the accomplishments. Personal commitments of
every partner were key to the success of this project.
•	The collaboration's strength was directly related to
the diversity of its local, regional, state, and federal
partners and a careful weighing in of grassroots
citizens input.
•	Establishing priorities, ground rules, and partner
consistency in the children's health project was vital.
Project Contacts
Dee Rodgers-Smith
EPA Region 4, Waste Management Division
(404) 562-8688
Brian Holtzclaw
EPA Region 4, Waste Management Division
(404) 562-8684

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Region 5
Airborne Lead Contamination: Master Metals Superfund site in
Northeast Detroit, Michigan
Project Activity
The Master Metals Superfund site is a former lead
smelter facility in Detroit that spewed lead particulate
throughout the area northeast of the site for a number
of years. EPA did an initial assessment of the site in
1998 by sampling approximately seven homes, and
found little contamination at or above the 400 ppm
threshold criteria. In January 2003, a week-long
series of articles on lead contamination in Detroit by
the Detroit Free Press prompted EPA to revisit the site
and undertake immediate action. Using historic
weather data and local records, an initial grid, two
miles in a northeast direction and 1 mile in three other
directions, established a "footprint" of contamination
that mirrored a computer-generated model. A
second round of testing within the original footprint
narrowed the contamination down further and just less
than 100 homes were sampled and excavated. Soil
down to a depth of a foot in some places was
removed and refilled and sodded. EPA continued to
work through the summer of 2004.
The project tested residences within an approximate
five block area. Areas tested outside the five-block
area did not show evidence of any contamination
and were deemed safe. Testing was only done for
residual airborne particulates and not for automobile
emissions or lead paint chips or dust.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
On-Scene Coordinator James Justice of EPA's Grosse
lie, Ml, office headed the project, which involved
state, county, and city environmental and health
departments. Dave Novak, the lead Community
Involvement Coordinator, was assisted by Cheryl
Allen, Robert Paulson, and Don de Blasio, all from
EPA Region 5. They, along with James Justice, helped
to obtain access agreements for both the soil testing
and, when necessary, for excavation.
Dave coordinated efforts with the neighborhood City
Hall and 1 1th Police Precinct. Team members held
two major public information meetings in the elemen-
tary school, attended a health fair at the same school,
and attended weekly neighborhood group meetings.
Information on the long- and short-term effects of
lead exposure on infants, children, and adults was
provided at these meetings.
What Are the Project Benefits?
The constant meetings and flow of information to the
various community groups provided a wealth of
information to residents. The activities prompted
blood testing for all age groups, individual residential
soil testing, and an increased awareness of the effects
of lead particulates.
Lessons Learned
•	EPA and other outside agency personnel need to
keep in mind the fear residents may have when
learning that lead contamination has been
detected in their yards. Extreme caution needs to
be taken when approaching residents with infor-
mation on lead poisoning and contamination to
avoid putting fear into their minds. In addition,
EPA needs to keep in mind that not every home
will test high and need excavation work.
•	Area residents should be communicated with in
a concise manner and in a language they
understand.
Project Contacts
James Justice
On-Scene Coordinator
U.S. EPA Emergency Response
Grosse lie, Ml
734-692-7687
U.S. EPA Community Involvement Coordinators
Region 5, Chicago
Dave Novak
3) 2-886-7478
Cheryl Allen
312-353-6196
Robert Paulson
312-886-0272
Don de Blasio
312-886-4360

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Region 10
Outreach to the Hispanic Community: Lower Duwamish Waterway
Superfund Site
Project Activity
The area around the Lower Duwamish Waterway site
is an environmental justice community, with low
income people, indigenous people, and people of
color. During fiscal year 2003, two fact sheets on the
Lower Duwamish Superfund Site were translated into
Spanish. One focused on the community's health
concerns related to the site, and the other discussed
areas of the site that will be cleaned up first. Because
a large number of the people living near the Lower
Duwamish Waterway in South Seattle speak Spanish,
EPA Region 10 and the Washington State Department
of Ecology provided information on the Superfund
site in Spanish. The revised community involvement
plan for the site was also translated into Spanish.
These translations were sent to everyone on a Spanish
mailing list for the site and to a Spanish distribution list
comprised of businesses and churches that serve a
large number of Spanish-speaking people in the
South Seattle area. The translations also were placed
in the site information repository in the community,
and on the web page for the site.
In addition to the Hispanic outreach effort at the Lower
Duwamish Waterway site, EPA and its partners worked to
inform and involve Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants
affected by the site. An EPA intern went door-to-door to
businesses in areas near the site to distribute copies of a
fish advisory fact sheet that had been produced and
translated into several Asian languages by the Washing-
ton State Department of Health. The health department
also made revisions to its multi-lingual Duwamish fish
advisory signs to include Russian, so that the message is
now in English, Spanish, Russian, and six Asian and
Pacific Islander languages. The department provided
forty of these signs for posting along the waterway by the
Port of Seattle and the Seattle Parks Department. In
addition, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, which
is the community advisory group for the site, had its own
brochure about the site translated into Chinese and
Vietnamese during 2003.
In March 2003, EPA created a document called
"Environmental Justice Resources for the Duwamish
Community" to help respond to environmental justice
concerns of the community. This listing of EPA and
Washington State Department of Ecology resources
was provided to a number of community contacts for
the site and posted on the EPA web page for the site.
Also in March 2003, six EPA employees met with the
director of the local Community Coalition for Environ-
mental Justice (CCEJ) to provide information about
cumulative risk studies. After that meeting, EPA pro-
vided additional information to CCEJ, including a
report on air toxics monitoring in the Georgetown
community next to the Lower Duwamish Waterway site.
Project Benefits
•	Coordinated work with other agencies and organi-
zations is very important for multilingual outreach
efforts. These efforts contributed to the generally
good relationship EPA has with a number of
community organizations.
•	Translations of fact sheets and multi-lingual
Duwamish fish advisory signs enhanced the
community's awareness of the Superfund site at the
Lower Duwamish Waterway site.
Lessons Learned
•	Translations and other outreach for people who
speak English as a second language, or not at all,
require a lot more staff time than comparable
outreach in English.
•	People who speak English as their second lan-
guage are likely to be less aware of a Superfund
site than others in the community.
•	Effective outreach may involve providing some
assistance not directly related to the program at
hand, such as providing area air toxics information
requested by an organization involved at a
Superfund site.
•	There may be little feedback to help evaluate the
outcome of multilingual outreach efforts.
Project Contacts
Allison Hiltner
EPA Region 10, Remedial Project Manager
(206) 553-2140
Cindy Schuster
EPA Region 10, Community Involvement Coordinator
(206) 553-1815

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OSRTI
The Development of the Contaminated Sediments Video: Impacts
and Solutions
Project Activity
Because contaminated sediment sites often involve
difficult technical and social issues, the Office of
Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovations
(OSRTI) created a balanced video that helps to dispel
the "myths" about sediment cleanups. This video lays
the groundwork in simple but technical terms for in-
depth discussions on this issue. It explains clearly how
sediments become contaminated and what this
contamination means to both human health and
community economy, and gives different approaches
that can be used to remediate or reduce these impacts.
Information in the video will help communities evaluate
the contaminated sediment problem in their community
and potential cleanup strategies. A key message
conveyed in the video is that community involvement is
important. One of the sites highlighted in the video is
Lake Hartwell, South Carolina—a site for which EPA
recommended a relatively aggressive cleanup ap-
proach of the lake's 700 acres of PCB contaminated
sediment. Community input helped guide EPA and
state regulatory agencies in their decision making.
Consequently, EPA altered its cleanup plan in response
to the community's preference.
It is especially important that a project manager
ensure early and meaningful community involvement
by providing community members with the technical
information needed for their participation. A guid-
ance document, "Principles for Managing Contami-
nated Sediment Risks at Hazardous Waste Sites," lists
six practices that site managers and community
involvement coordinators should take into consider-
ation. These practices were presented in OSWER
Directive 9230.0-99, Early and Meaningful Commu-
nity Involvement (October 12, 2001). This directive
also includes a list of other useful resources and is
available at: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/pubs.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The project developers were EPA's Office of Solid
Waste, OSRTI, OSRTI's Sediments Team Leader, and
the Emergency Response Team and its contractor.
OSRTI and EPA Regions 1, 4, 5, 6, and 10 reviewed
the video and associated presenters' manual. Several
community members were interviewed for the video,
including an Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, resident,
representatives of the United Tribe Nation of Wiscon-
sin, and staff in the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources.
What Are the Project Benefits?
•	Enable community members to hold informed
discussion about contaminated sediments and
remediation options.
•	Build capacity in communities by providing them
with information about the different types of
sediment remedies and the positives and negatives
of each option.
•	Encourage communities to get involved.
•	Build capacity in the agency by giving staff the
tools to educate communities on the issues sur-
rounding contaminated sediment.
•	Make a video available for distribution to all
regions and program offices.
•	Provide a presenter's manual to assist in identifying
key concepts, discussion topics, general informa-
tion, and resources.
Lessons Learned
•	Utilize expertise from people who completed
similar projects.
•	Produce the video and manual concurrently.
Project Contacts
Pat Carey
EPA OSWER, OSRTI, CIOB
(703) 603-8772
Steve Ells
EPA OSWER, OSRTI, SPB
(703) 603-8822

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OSRTI
Task Force Report on Ritualistic Uses of Mercury
Project Activity
EPA convened the Task Force on Ritualistic Uses of
Mercury in 1 999 to complement the Agency's broader
agenda to reduce mercury in the environment from
sources such as releases from coal-fired power plants,
consumption of methyl mercury in fish, and the use of
mercury in schools and medical facilities.
Much is known about the health effects of mercury.
Mercury can cause permanent damage to the brain
and central nervous system. The developing fetus is
the most sensitive to the effects of mercury, so women
of child-bearing age are the population of greatest
concern. Children of women exposed to relatively
high levels of methyl mercury during pregnancy have
exhibited a variety of abnormalities, including delayed
onset of walking and talking, and reduced neurologi-
cal test scores. Children exposed to far lower methyl
mercury exposures in the womb have exhibited delays
and deficits in learning ability.
It is known that botanicas sell mercury for individual
use in homes as part of a variety of Latino and Afro-
Caribbean traditions. There is a lack of data on the
extent of mercury use for these purposes, the fate and
transport of mercury indoors, and the exposure that
might result from these uses. Nevertheless, indoor
domestic exposure to mercury vapor is of significant
concern because of its potential for direct impact on
human health.
The Task Force believed that outreach and education
measures would be most effective in addressing this
issue, and made a series of recommendations de-
signed to educate users about the hazards of mercury
and encourage the use of safer alternatives.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The Task Force was comprised of approximately 18
organizations representing federal, state and local
governments, national Hispanic organizations, and
medical research institutions, including:
•	EPA (HQ and regions)
•	Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR)
•	Consumer Product Safety Commission
•	New York City Department of Health
•	New York State Department of Environmental
Protection
•	Illinois Department of Public Health
•	Chicago Department of Public Health
•	New Jersey Department of Health and Senior
Services
•	Connecticut Department of Public Health
•	Florida Department of Health
•	Puerto Rican Family Institute
•	New York Academy of Medicine
•	Mercury Poisoning Project
•	Caribbean Women's Health Association
•	National Alliance for Hispanic Health
•	Medgars Evers College (City University of New
York)
What Are the Project Benefits?
•	EPA is in the process of developing an Indoor Air
Sampling and Monitoring Methodology Protocol
for Mercury Vapors.
•	A cooperative agreement between the National
Association of City/County Health Officials
(NACCHO), EPA, and ATSDR is being developed
to support local outreach and education efforts to
warn users of the hazards of mercury, and encour-
age the use of safer alternatives.
•	EPA has conducted simulations of the use of
mercury indoors, and has taken air measurements
to help better understand the fate and transport of
mercury when used for cultural purposes.
•	EPA has developed a brochure on mercury
describing its hazards and what to do if mercury is
spilled. This brochure will serve as a template that
can be used by local groups in designing their
own communications.

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Lessons Learned
There is a need for more studies on the ritualistic
uses of mercury.
The community plays a very important role in
understanding the unique dynamics involved with
this cultural and spiritual practice.
Project Contact
Karen L. Martin
EPA OSWER/OSRTI/CIOB
703-603-9925
Region 3
2003 Superfund Jobs Training Initiative Project at the Abex
Superfund Site in Portsmouth, Virginia
Project Activity
In October 2002, EPA Region 3 nominated the Abex
Site tor Superfund Jobs Training Initiaitve (SuperJTI)
Training, a program facilitated by the National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
SuperJTI provides residents living near or around
Superfund sites with environmental health and safety
training, and encourages the employment of trainees
in the cleanup of their communities. The program
was designed to train residents of communities
surrounding the Abex Superfund site to prepare them
for entry into the environmental remediation field. It
was further hoped that some successful graduates of
the program would be able to get jobs in the continu-
ing cleanup of the Abex site.
The environmental training program designed by the
Alice Hamilton Occupational and Health Center
(AHOHC) for this project was tailored to the cleanup
at the Abex site but provided a broader range of
training in order to maximize the job opportunities
available for the graduates. The training consisted of
three discreet activities:
1.	Recruiting potential participants for the program;
2.	Providing the training program; and
3.	Conducting job search assistance and placement
activities.
In its recruitment efforts, the Virginia Employment
Commission distributed literature about the upcoming
training program, assisted AHOHC staff, provided
conference room space, and promoted the program to
its clients. The recruitment effort culminated in 21
participants being selected to start the program, which
met the goals of targeting the residents of the affected
neighborhoods surrounding the Abex site. The training,
including that for environmental health and safety,
environmental justice awareness, and bio-terrorism
cleanup, was completed in November 2002.
To facilitate job placement, AHOHC sponsored a
Contractors' Day, when employers interviewed
students. Within one week of graduation, five of
nineteen participants had job offers; within three
weeks, nine of the nineteen graduates were employed
with environmental contractors. The following June,
AHOHC contacted graduates as part of its follow-up
program and found that nine of the nineteen gradu-
ates are working in the environmental industry.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
•	The Virginia Employment Commission's Portsmouth
Office
•	The Alice Hamilton Occupational and Health
Center (AHOHC)
•	Norfolk State University/Old Dominion University
Tri-Cities Center
What Are the Project Benefits?
•	Encourages community organizations, universities,
state agencies, and local employers to work
together.
•	Increases the skills of local workers.
•	Provides job opportunities for qualified residents.
•	Adds to the local economy by preparing local
residents for employment.
•	Contributes to the clean up of the community and
the environment.

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Lessons Learned
•	Include substance abuse screening during the
application process.
•	Have nonprofit organizations on board and fully
committed to the process before training commit-
ments are made.
•	Make certain the local jurisdiction has a local
hiring clause to facilitate hiring from within the
affected community.
Project Contacts
Vance Evans
EPA Region 3
215-814-5526
Pat Carey
EPA/OSRTI
703-603-8772

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Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Many environmental justice communities are located in areas with operating hazardous waste facilities that are
regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). RCRA's primary goals are to protect
human health and the environment from the potential hazards of waste disposal, to conserve energy and
natural resources, to reduce the amount of waste generated, and to ensure that wastes are managed in an
environmentally sound manner.
This section of the report highlights EPA's environmental justice activities related to RCRA in the areas of correc-
tive action, brownfields, and training. The RCRA Corrective Action Program allows RCRA facilities to address
the investigation and cleanup of hazardous releases themselves. The RCRA brownfields projects address RCRA
facilities that are not in full use, where there is redevelopment potential of the site, and where reuse or redevel-
opment of the site is slowed due to concerns about actual or potential contamination, liability, and RCRA
requirements. The RCRA training projects include training for Native Americans to develop or improve solid
waste management practices on their reservations.
Region 2
RCRA Partnerships to Address Solid Waste Landfills and Used Oil
Management in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Project Activity
Two RCRA 7003 Orders require the Virgin Islands
Government to achieve compliance with federal
standards for municipal solid waste landfill operation
and closure at its Anguilla and Bovoni Landfills.
Required upgrades include groundwater contamina-
tion and explosive gas monitoring, storm-water
control, and scrap metal removal. A third Order
requires the reimplementation of a 1 995 Virgin
Islands Government Used Oil Management Plan,
which involved the collection of "do-it-yourself" used
oil and the establishment of on-island burning
capacity for both do-it-yourself and commercially
generated used oil. A public availability meeting was
held prior to the issuance of each Order, and 30-day
comment periods were provided for the public to
submit written comments on each Order.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The Virgin Islands Department of Public Works owns
the Bovoni Landfill and operates that, the Anguilla
Landfill, and the Virgin Islands Port Authority, which
owns the Anguilla Landfill. EPA is coordinating with
the Federal Aviation Administration regarding the
operation of the Anguilla Landfill, which poses a bird
strike hazard to the nearby Henry E. Rohlsen Airport.
The Landfill Orders name the Virgin Islands Depart-
ment of Public Works as respondents. The Used Oil
Order names the Virgin Islands Department of Public
Works and Virgin Islands Department of Planning and
Natural Resources as respondents.
What are the Project Benefits?
•	The Landfill Orders seek to markedly improve
operating conditions that pose a number of
potential threats to human health and the environ-
ment, including the risk of fire, disease, and at the
Anguilla Landfill, a bird strike hazard to the nearby
Henry E. Rohlsen Airport.
•	The Used Oil Order seeks to curtail the potential
monetary incentive for illegal dumping posed by
the high cost of off-island disposal by providing
and publicly promoting a lower cost local alterna-
tive.
•	The potential environmental benefits are substan-
tial, as harm to a sensitive ecosystem, as well as
damage to surface water and groundwater, will
be minimized or prevented.
•	The Virgin Islands Government has made signifi-
cant progress in complying with all three Orders.
A 2003 EPA inspection of the Anguilla Landfill
confirmed that the Port Authority had constructed a
fence and installed a closed circuit television

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~
observation system, and that the Public Works
Department was using this system to conduct
random inspections of incoming loads and was
applying daily earthen cover to the Landfill active
face. A 2003 EPA inspection of the Bovoni
Landfill confirmed that the Public Works Depart-
ment had partially constructed a used oil storage
building, constructed a fence, completed a
temporary sewage sludge storage cell, was
conducting random inspections of incoming loads,
and was applying daily earthen cover to the
Landfill active face. While underground fires have
existed at both Landfills for years, neither fire nor
smoke was observed at either Landfill.
Region 2
Lessons Learned
Although the Region had the authority to issue the
Orders unilaterally, it succeeded in negotiating the
issuance of all three Orders on consent. This, com-
bined with Region 2's ongoing collaborative efforts
with the Virgin Islands Government, has confirmed
Region 2's understanding and appreciation of the
benefits of the partnership approach.
Project Contact
Leonard Grossman, Project Coordinator
EPA Region 2, DECA/RCB
(212) 637-4153
2003 Compliance Assistance and Environmental Enforcement
Sweep, Paterson, New Jersey
Project Activity
The project goal was to perform a concentrated,
multi-media enforcement initiative that focused on
issues affecting the health and well being of the
people in the Paterson, New Jersey, area. The sweep
consisted of compliance assistance followed by
targeted inspections of regulated facilities. Paterson
was chosen because it is an environmental justice
community and has a high number of regulated
facilities in close proximity to residential neighbor-
hoods. Compliance rates in Paterson are low com-
pared to several other northern New Jersey cities.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The project partners, led by the New Jersey Depart-
ment of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), included
EPA Region 2, the Passaic County Health Department,
the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC), and
the Paterson Department of Commerce. EPA Region
2 and NJDEP coordinated the effort, which included
conducting inspections and providing compliance
assistance prior to the sweep. The Passaic County
Health Department and PVSC also conducted
inspections while the Department of Commerce
helped reach its members and hosted compliance
assistance seminars.
What Are the Project Benefits?
Through cooperative efforts with all partners, EPA
Region 2 provided compliance assistance to over 400
businesses before the inspection sweep began.
Feedback from inspectors indicated that the EPA
presence was expected and anticipated. Inspectors
believed that many facilities brought themselves into
better compliance knowing that inspectors were
coming.
Inspectors conducted about 1,300 inspections and
found over 150 major violations. Enforcement
actions are being taken.
Examples of violations found and addressed in-
cluded:
•	A truck leaving a dye and chemical company was
stopped with the help of a sheriff because it was
believed to be leaking hydrochloric acid vapor.
After stopping the truck, inspectors learned that the
facility was using its basement as wastewater
storage with potential leaks to groundwater.
•	Several bodegas (convenience stores) were issued
stop-sale orders for illegal, imported pesticides.
•	Inspectors found at least two facilities in the City
that were stockpiling drums containing toxic
chemicals, some of which were leaking. Cleanup
will commence at both facilities.

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Lessons Learned
Project Contact
The project demonstrated that interagency coordina- Meghan La Reou Fedor
tion increases efficiency among all programs in-	EPA Region 2, DECA
volved. The concentrated outreach and enforcement (212) 637-4148
effort in Paterson helped achieve a broader aware-
ness of the area's environmental challenges and
potential impacts to its inner-city residents.
Region 8
Migrant Farm Worker Safety Notice
Project Activity
This project was designed to inform migrant farm
workers of potential dangers from the destruction of
chemical weapons at the Pueblo Chemical Depot
(PCD). The PCD is a 1 5,000 acre military facility
located east of Pueblo, Colorado, and is surrounded
by a population that is more than fifty percent His-
panic. The Depot is tasked with the storage of
chemical weapons. The site is slated for closure
under the Base Relocation and Closure Act and is
undergoing cleanup of soil and groundwater con-
tamination under the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA).
Currently, PCD stores nearly 800,000 rounds of
deteriorating munitions containing mustard agent.
These rounds are slated for destruction under the
terms of the 1 993 Chemical Weapons Convention
Treaty. The destruction will be carried out pursuant to
the terms of permits issued and administered by the
State of Colorado. For the past several years, local
residents have been educated and prepared for the
upcoming weapons destruction. Information and
advice has been provided through news articles,
community meetings, and home visits to deliver
"Shelter In Place" kits.
While most of the affected population has been
informed about the destruction of chemical weapons,
one segment of the population was overlooked—
migrant farm workers. More than 4,000 migrant
workers are employed in the fields surrounding the
Depot. No one had informed them of the potential
dangers of weapons destruction or how they might
respond to a release of airborne contamination.
EPA Region 8's Environmental Justice program, in
partnership with the Army, the Pueblo County Emer-
gency Management Office, and local advocacy/
assistance groups for migrant workers, created a one
page Spanish-language brochure to fill this informa-
tion gap. EPA Region 8's Environmental Justice office
took the lead in designing the brochure and writing
the text. The Army edited the text, the Emergency
Management Office printed the brochure, and the
Los Pobres Center distributed the document to the
1,500 migrant families that came through its doors.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The principal Regional participants were EPA Region
8's Environmental Justice, Federal Facilities, and
Community Involvement programs. The Army
Depot's staff provided editorial assistance and the
Pueblo County Emergency Management program
provided logistical support. Los Pobres Center carried
out the distribution of 2,000 brochures and answered
questions from the migrant community. Finally,
community members concerned about the lack of
information regarding the weapons destruction in the
migrant farm worker community provided critical
counsel and assistance.
What Are the Project Benefits?
•	The migrant community has been afforded the
same level of information as was available to the
community at large.
•	Nearly 4,000 migrant workers have been given
information potentially critical to their safety in the
event of a catastrophic release of a chemical agent.
•	Migrant workers now have begun to ask questions
about what they can do if there is an accidental
release of a chemical agent.
•	Participating government agencies have begun to
consider the migrant community in the design and
implementation of their communication and
outreach plans.

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~
Lessons Learned
The principal lesson taken from this activity is "Do not
assume that all segments of a community are well
informed about an environmental restoration activity,
even if you have put in place a sound, community-
wide communication strategy." In this case, the issue
was not one of simply translating material into
another language. Rather, the primary challenge was
identifying and addressing an unreached community.
The secondary challenge was designing an appropri-
ate strategy to communicate effectively with a partially
literate population that was unreachable through
standard communication channels.
Project Contact
Michael Wenstrom
Environmental Justice Program
Region 8, USEPA
(303) 312-7009
wenstrom.michael@epa.gov

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Environmental Justice Awareness Trainin
As part of EPA's strong commitment to implement effective practices for addressing the needs of environmental
justice communities, EPA gives training to its staff regarding environmental justice issues. This training focuses on
environmental justice policies and learned and practiced tools for managing environmental justice issues
effectively. It also addresses the need for staff to be aware and sensitive to environmental justice issues that may
arise in the communities in which they work. This section highlights the projects that involve environmental justice
training of EPA employees.
Region 1
Environmental Justice Guidance Compendium
Project Activity
EPA Region 1 's Environmental Justice Functional Guid-
ance Compendium (EJ Guidance Compendium), which
was finalized in February 2004, is the centerpiece of the
Region's efforts to integrate environmental justice
principles in the day-to-day work of the Region. It
provides guidance for staff working in seven of EPA
Region 1's major functional areas: 1) Contracts and
Procurement, 2) Development and Approval of State
Programs, 3) Federal Financial Assistance Agreements,
4) Inspections, Enforcement, and Compliance Assis-
tance, 5) Performance Partnership Agreements (PPAs)
with States, 6) Permitting, and 7) Waste Site Cleanup,
Emergency Response, and Brownfields. A cross-office
training plan has been developed for each functional
guidance area, and training will begin during the
second quarter of FY 2004.
As the developmental process for the EJ Guidance
Compendium began, it became clear that the effort was
larger and more complex than originally anticipated.
Given its importance, the EJ Council chose to continue
developing the Compendium, which is expected to
change the way EPA Region 1 's work is performed. The
complexity of the task delayed the issuance of the
Compendium by a year. The final EJ Guidance
Compendium was issued in February 2004 and training
on each of its function-specific chapters will begin during
the second quarter of FY 2004. This guidance, together
with the EJ Awareness Training and the EJ Mapping Tool
that were also rolled out in FY 2003, provide staff with a
solid foundation to build EJ goals and objectives into
their day-to-day activities.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
EPA Region 1 's Environmental Justice Council
authored much of the Compendium with input from
other staff and managers in Region 1.
What Are the Project Benefits?
The document provides function-specific direction that will
enable staff to integrate EJ principles into their day-to-day
work. The EJ Guidance Compendium also includes
guidance that should be applied by staff region-wide to
assess and take action to address environmental justice
issues, including the Brief Users' Guide to the EPA Region
1 EJ Desktop Mapping Tool, and guidance on conduct-
ing public involvement activities and working with tribes.
Project Contacts
Kathy Castagna
Region I, OCR
(617) 918-1429
James Younger
Region I, OCR
(617) 918-1061

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Region 1
Environmental Justice Mapping Tool
Project Activity
In May 2003, EPA Region 1 launched its new Environ-
mental Justice Desktop Mapping Tool (EJ Mapping
Tool), a computer mapping application available to
all regional employees at their desktops. The tool
provides EPA Region 1 staff a means to help identify
and analyze potential EJ issues, and is the result of
over a year of careful planning, development, and
evaluation as part of the regional EJ Action Plans for
FY 2002 and 2003.
The EJ Mapping Tool provides a visual representation
of areas in New England where significant numbers of
minority and low-income populations live. The raw
data on race and income are drawn from the 2000
U.S. Census. The data are organized and presented
visually by reference to geographic areas known as
"block groups." Block groups are census-defined
areas, generally containing between 600 and 3,000
people. The EJ Mapping Tool uses race and income
thresholds to identify potential EJ areas of concern,
since race and income are widely recognized as
strong indicators of populations that might bear
elevated environmental burdens.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The EPA Region 1 Environmental Justice Council's
sub-workgroup, which is made up of Council mem-
bers and EPA Region 1 IT staff, was involved.
What Are the Project Benefits?
The EJ Mapping Tool was designed to enhance the
quality of EPA Region 1 's work by providing easy
access to consistent and reliable EJ-related data. By
having demographic data readily available to help
characterize communities throughout New England,
staff and management can better ensure that EJ
principles, such as fairness and meaningful involve-
ment, are incorporated into EPA Region 1 's everyday
work.
Lessons Learned
Further work is necessary to give EPA Region 1 's state
partners access to the tool.
Project Contact
Deborah Cohen
Region 1, OARM
(617) 918-1145
Region 3
Environmental Justice All States Meetings
Project Activity
EPA Region 3 and the states of Delaware, Maryland,
Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District
of Columbia cosponsored the Environmental Justice
All States meetings. These meetings were designed to
provide a forum for discussion on topics of environ-
mental justice concern for the purposes of providing
information, insight, and consultation, and for
building working relationships between federal and
state agencies as they seek to address environmental
justice issues. Presentations on significant issues of
interest with respect to environmental justice were
made by invited guests.
Historically, speakers and presenters have been public
interest lawyers, professionals from various public and
private organizations, lawyers representing the
regulated community, Regional and EPA Headquar-
ters personnel, state and local representatives from
EPA Region 3, and citizens representing areas of
concern. Sessions have served as training opportuni-
ties for state, federal, and local personnel, and as
mechanisms for building and maintaining positive

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working relationships among partners. Recent topics
of discussion have been the Saint Lawrence Cement
case, cumulative risk, state environmental justice
programs, identification of at-risk communities, health
indicators, and collaborative problem solving.
In 2002, the meetings focused on health indicators,
assessment tools, and environmental justice legislation
as a means to address environmental justice concerns.
In 2003, the meetings were expanded to include EPA
Region 2 and the states of New York and New Jersey.
The Winter 2003 meeting focused on Cumulative
Risk, and the Summer 2003 meeting focused on the
issues related to the Saint Lawrence Cement case that
was before the U.S. Third Circuit Court. The Summer
2003 meeting included presentations by state and
federal partners and by attorneys active in the Saint
Lawrence Cement case, and included a site tour led
by the citizens of the community.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The Environmental Justice All States Meetings are
jointly sponsored by the EPA Region 3's Office of
Enforcement, Compliance, and Environmental Justice,
Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland,
Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the City of
Philadelphia. Each of these partners is involved in the
planning of the meetings, identifying Environmental
Justice issues of concern to be discussed, participating
on monthly All States Environmental Justice conference
calls, and serving as presenters during the meeting's
informational sessions.
Charles Lee of EPA's Office of Environmental Justice
(OEJ) makes regular presentations at these meetings.
Other participants have included:
•	Larry Charles of ONE CHANE;
•	Ann Goode, formerly of OCR;
•	Arthur Ray, formerly of Exelon and MDE;
•	Deeohn Ferris; and
•	Olga Pomar.
Public and private interest attorneys also provide
information on cases of environmental justice concern,
and provide insights into the trends and perspectives
regarding environmental justice case law. Representa-
tives from community and environmental groups
participate as invited guests and provide information
and insight into issues of concern.
What Are the Project Benefits?
•	The All States Environmental Justice Meetings led to
the development of the Region 3 Cumulative Risk
Workshop, which was conducted in May 2003.
This Workshop provided the Region 3 community
with an overview of the various aspects of Cumu-
lative Risk as related to environmental justice.
More than 100 persons from as far away as
Oklahoma attended the workshop. Follow-up
workshops and regional activities related to
cumulative risk are planned for the future.
•	Work started at the All States Environmental Justice
Meetings is carried over into the work of the state
Environmental Justice Councils in the Region, and
has translated into better working relationships
among the partners.
Lessons Learned
Information provided on legal cases and issues of
concern gives the partners new insight, and the
meetings serve as a forum for training and capacity
building among the partners.
Project Contact
Reginald Harris
U.S. ERA Region 3
Office of Enforcement Compliance and Environmen-
tal Justice
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 814-2988

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Region 3
Cumulative Risk Workshop, Philadelphia, PA, May 2003
Project Activity
The states and citizens expressed interest in Region 3
holding informative workshops and seminars on
topics of environmental justice concern. In 2003,
Region 3 held a highly successful Cumulative Risk/
Impacts Workshop in Philadelphia and an Environ-
mental Justice Forum in the District of Columbia. A
proceedings document was made available on EPA
Region 3's Website at http://www.epa.gov/reg3ecei/
cumriskwkshop.htm, and the materials were also
mailed to interested parties.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The Cumulative Risk Workshop was attended by more
than 100 persons representing state, federal, and
local agencies, community groups and organizations,
academic institutions, professional organizations, and
other interests. Participants came from all across the
United States, and Region 3 received correspondence
from Canada and Western Europe regarding the
meeting. Representatives from the Johns Hopkins
University School of Public Health and Hygiene, the
Federal Drug Administration, U.S. EPA-Research
Triangle Park, the Public Interest Law Center of
Philadelphia, private law firms, WEACT, the Philadel-
phia Asian American Community, Jefferson Medical
College, Temple University, Exelon, and EPA Region 3
served as presenters and moderators for the workshop
What Are the Project Benefits?
•	The Workshop provided an overview of the state
of the science of cumulative risk for all stakehold-
ers in attendance. EPA Region 3 and the states it
represents are working toward developing more
defined methodologies for the appropriate
application of a cumulative approach to address-
ing environmental justice concerns.
•	Several aspects of cumulative risk were identified
as key areas for further investigation in future
workshops, including: vulnerability, sensitive
populations, susceptibility, multiple impacts,
multiple sources, and biomarkers.
Lessons Learned
The group learned that the use of cumulative risk as
an assessment tool may help provide a more effective
means of proactively identifying areas of concern.
However, cumulative risk assessment limitations and
the appropriate use of cumulative risk assessment
methodology need to be explored in greater detail.
Project Contact
Reginald Harris
EPA Region 3
Office of Enforcement, Compliance and
Environmental Justice
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 814-2988
OSWER
OSWER Environmental Justice Training
Project Activity
OSWER has had a formal environmental justice (EJ)
program since 1 993. With the advent of the EPA EJ
Fundamentals Course, OSWER saw yet another
opportunity to expand its EJ efforts. OSWER began its
EJ Training program by offering an abbreviated
course for its senior management as a way of educat-
ing them and giving them insight prior to deciding
how EJ training would be implemented throughout
OSWER. Their involvement and satisfaction with the
training formed the basis for offering the one-day EJ
training course to all OSWER staff.
Staff training throughout OSWER began in September
2003. At that time, 25 staff members from all of
OSWER's program offices were trained. This was
particularly encouraging because enrollment is on a
voluntary basis. The initial training developed into a
comprehensive "EJ 101: Fundamentals of Environ-
mental Justice" one-day training course, which is now
offered on a quarterly basis and conducted by
trained OSWER program office representatives. This

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EJ training course focuses on identifying and address-
ing environmental justice matters consistent with
existing environmental laws and their implementing
regulations. OSWER's goal is to train more than 200
people over the next two fiscal years.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The EJ training team is comprised of representatives
from various OSWER program offices.
What Are the Project Benefits?
•	Increasing environmental justice awareness among
OSWER staff by training more than 200 people
over the next two fiscal years.
•	Better integrating environmental justice consider-
ations into OSWER's programs, projects, and
activities.
•	Reinforcing the principles of environmental justice
throughout OSWER and the Agency.
Lessons Learned
• The key to the course's value is relating the
material to the participants' work.
Project Contact
Kent Benjamin, Environmental Justice and
State Liaison
U.S. EPA, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response
(202) 566-0185

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Community Involvement, Outreach, and Planning
OSWER is committed to improving communications with communities and establishing trust of EPA in those
communities. To do this, OSWER works in partnership with community representatives, states, cities, and federal
agencies to develop strategies for promoting public participation and community involvement in its decision-
making processes. Part of this process includes the development of communication and outreach tools that are
effective in reaching the environmental justice communities that EPA serves. This section highlights EPA's environ-
mental justice projects that focused on the development of partnerships with communities and other entities to
develop effective communication and outreach materials.
~
FFRRO
Examining Environmental Justice at Federal Facilities
Project Activity
As part of the National Environmental Justice Advisory
Council (NEJAC), the Federal Facilities Working
Group (Working Group) identified and evaluated key
issues of concern to environmental justice (EJ) commu-
nities regarding the cleanup activities at sites owned
and/or operated by the Federal government, prima-
rily the Department of Defense (DoD) and Depart-
ment of Energy (DOE). The Working Group has
provided specific recommendations in their final
report, which, if approved by the Executive Council of
NEJAC, will be sent to EPA later in 2004.
In order to develop the recommendations report, the
Working Group conducted site visits at five federal
facilities throughout the United States. The purpose of
the site visits was to examine the relationship between
federal facilities and EJ communities during the
remediation process. The five site visits included: Kelly
Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX; Fort Wingate,
Gallup, NM; Memphis Defense Depot, Memphis, TN;
DOE's Savannah River Site, Aiken, SC; and DOE's
Hanford Site, Richland, WA. The following site
attributes were considered, among others, in deter-
mining the site visits: location, lead Federal agency,
type of site (sites on the National Priority List, Base
Realignment and Closure Sites, or Formerly Used
Defense Sites), contaminants of concern, type of EJ
communities and issue, and level of stakeholder
involvement. After each site visit, the Working Group
created a site visit report to serve as background
information to its final recommendations report.
Who was involved in this effort?
The NEJAC Federal Facilities Working Group's
membership is comprised of a balanced representa-
tion of diverse interests, including: community-based
groups, business, academic institutions, state govern-
ment, federally recognized tribes, and other non-
governmental groups. As part of the data collection
effort, various community-based residents and local
EJ-based organizations, as well as EPA's Regional
offices, DoD and DOE facility personnel, tribes, state
regulators, and non-governmental organizations
provided information and insight into their experiences
with the sites. EPA's Federal Facilities Restoration and
Reuse Office sponsored the Working Group's effort.
What Are the Project Benefits?
The final product of the Working Group's efforts is a
recommendations report titled "Environmental Justice
and Federal Facilities: Recommendations for Improving
Stakeholder Relations Between Federal Facilities and EJ
Communities." This report provides an overview of EJ
issues at Federal Facilities and specific recommenda-
tions to EPA to improve relations with EJ communities
and assist these communities to more effectively
participate in the cleanup process at federal facilities.
Five general findings are presented in the report, which
include EJ communities general need for:
•	Access to adequate health services;
•	Additional resources for capacity building;
•	Improved and effective communication between
facility/regulators;

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•	Enhancement of community assessments and
communication methods to improve cultural
sensitivity by the federal government; and
•	New and consistent opportunities to help influence
decisions.
The recommendations provide suggestions for how
EPA can assist EJ communities to meet these needs.
Lessons Learned
The recommendations report will provide important
information to EPA's Headquarters and Regional
offices about EJ issues at Federal facilities.
Project Contact
Triria Martynowicz
U.S. EPA/OSWER
Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office
(703) 603-0051
Region 3
Auto Body Shop Initiative
Project Activity
The Auto Body Shop Initiative was implemented in the
Park Heights Neighborhood of Baltimore, MD, and in
Ward 5 of Washington, DC. The initiative focused on
bringing auto body shops in the two target areas into
compliance with current regulations. To do this, the
following steps were taken: 1) identify the universe of
facilities in the two target areas; 2) conduct inspections
at a statistically valid number of randomly selected
facilities to obtain a compliance rate for this sector in
the particular area; 3) provide compliance assistance
and pollution prevention outreach to the entire
universe of auto body shops; 4) conduct a self
certification program; and 5) measure the results of
the compliance assistance efforts. Both Maryland
and Washington, DC, received grants from EPA
Headquarters to implement these steps. The states
and the community groups involved developed
compliance assistance materials that were distributed
to auto body shops in the target areas.
With assistance from EPA Region 3's Office of
Enforcement, Compliance, and Environmental Justice
(OECEJ), both Washington, DC, and Maryland
completed a checklist for the inspections, and wrote
the Environmental Business Performance Indicators
(EBPI). The EBPI were used in the measurement phase
of the project. The second round of inspections were
completed, and the State of Maryland is planning to
provide additional assistance to the auto body shop
owners in the Park Heights neighborhood. The Park
Heights Project was awarded a $100,000 grant
through the Environmental Justice Collaborative
Problem Solving Grants Program. It was also selected
as one of the Second Round IWG Demonstration
Project Pilots.
The results of these projects were measured using
different methods to:
•	Determine the compliance rate at the beginning of
the project and again after the outreach had
occurred;
•	Determine the number of participants who self-
certified;
•	Determine any change in behavior among the auto
body shops with regard to complying with environ-
mental regulations;
•	Determine if complaints in the area had decreased;
and,
•	In Baltimore, evaluate the publicly owned treatment
works' discharge monitoring reports to determine if
there was a decrease in oil and grease discharges.
Region 3 is still working with both Washington, DC,
and Maryland to finalize the measurement methods to
be used for additional projects. OECEJ will continue to
assist the states in 2004 and 2005 by confirming shop
locations with a geographic positioning system (GPS)
and with follow-up inspections at 46 auto body shops
in Washington, DC, and 30 auto body shops in MD.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
In Baltimore, the Project was headed by OECEJ, the
Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and
the Park Reist Corridor Association. In Washington
DC, the lead organizations were OECEJ and the DC
Health Department. EPA Headquarters and EPA

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~
Region 3 provided funding for the project. OECEJ
provided the staff who conducted the inspections, and
assisted MDE, which developed the Compliance
Assistance Workbooks and related materials. The
citizens and body shop owners actively participated in
the project by assisting OECEJ inspectors with locating
facilities and in bringing together residents and shop
owners with EPA and MDE. The Park Heights Body
Shops formed an association of the shops that
participated in the project. All of the stakeholders
worked together to identify additional project partners
who may be instrumental in building relationships that
will bring about additional environmental improve-
ments, and establish mutually beneficial relationships.
What Are the Project Benefits?
The Project:
•	Assisted shop owners in coming into compliance
with regulations;
•	Improved the quality of life in the communities;
•	Increased awareness of environmental regulations
among shop owners and employees; and
•	Reduced environmental impacts due to waste oil,
chemicals, paints, and associated automotive
products.
The universe of auto body and auto repair facilities
in the study areas are more accurately defined.
The inspections identified and more clearly defined
needs and concerns.
The stakeholders learned the value of the partner-
ship.
The compliance assistance activities and training
provided insight and information that will improve
future efforts.
Project Contacts
Garth Connor
U.S. EPA Region 3
Office of Enforcement, Compliance and Environmental
Justice
(215) 814-3209
Reginald Harris
U.S. EPA Region 3
Office of Enforcement, Compliance and
Environmental Justice
(215) 814-2988
Region 4
Teachers Environmental Institutes
Project Activity
Building an awareness of the nature and vastness of
environmental problems and finding creative solutions
to these problems among middle and high school
teachers are the primary goals of the Teachers
Environmental Institute (TEI). So far, EPA Region 4 has
trained more than 550 teachers who have touched
the lives of over 25,000 middle and high school
students.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
In FY 2003, EPA Region 4 and Alabama A&M
University hosted the 8th Annual TEI. The TEI was held
on the University campus during June 2003. Forty-
one teachers from the State of Alabama, along with
one from the State of Georgia, attended the TEI. In
total, they represented 15 school districts. The
University utilized its engineering and environmental
staff to develop and deliver the workshop. The
University was assisted by staff from EPA Region 4
and the Marshall Space Flight Center.
What are the Project Benefits?
The TEls offer teachers an opportunity to learn about
the environmental issues affecting their communities
and to consider practical suggestions for involving
students and community residents in environmental
protection. With waste management as a central
theme, institute activities are comprised of stimulating
workshop sessions, hands-on activities that focus on
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Toxic
Release Inventory (TRI), Superfund site tours, and
interactive discussions on topics such as risk assess-
ment, community activism, pollution prevention, and

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environmental justice. With the assistance of institute
facilitators, participating teachers developed lesson
plans that incorporated the environmental research
data specific to their respective communities. Partici-
pants have been exposed to topics as varied and far-
reaching as "The Political Process and Environmental
Policy," "Teaching Environmental Science," "Develop-
ing Environmental Curriculum Guides," and "Pollution
Prevention."
Lessons Learned
As the participating teachers touch the lives of more
than 2,000 students annually, it is anticipated that the
impact of these important environmental messages will
reach far beyond the confines of conference participa-
tion. Thus, the "living legacy" of the Institutes will be
manifested in the thousands of students who will
become better equipped to analyze and discover new
ways in which families and communities can work
together for a better life.
Project Contacts:
Margaret Crowe
U.S. EPA Region 4, Waste Management Division
(404) 562-8687
Eddie L. Wright
U.S. EPA Region 4, Waste Management Division
(404) 562-8669
Region 7
St. Louis Community AIR Outreach, St. Louis, Missouri
Project Activity
The population on the north side of St. Louis has
some of the highest adverse environmental health
(i.e., asthma) issues in the State of Missouri and the
Nation. This same population also has the greatest
social challenges with income, single head-of-
households, educational barriers, and other social
and physical measures. Region 7 implemented
various outreach projects to the citizens of St. Louis.
These included the St. Louis Community Air Project,
the North Side Clean Air Project, and the Air Toxics
Education Project. These outreach projects provided
accessible community education on air toxics, helped
people understand how their behaviors influence
healthy air, and empowered people to make deliber-
ate decisions to reduce harmful hazardous air pollut-
ants and reduce diesel emissions from school buses
through technology, fuel types, and policies.
Who was involved in the Project
Initiative?
The project participants included: St. Louis residents,
businesses, schools, daycare centers, the Public
Library, and AmeriCorps.
What Are the Project Benefits?
The projects have helped EPA realize a variety of
approaches to environmental management that
respect the assets and challenges that exist within
different communities. While EPA has often agreed
that a 'one-size-fits-all' approach does not work well,
rarely has EPA been able to offer specifics that
demonstrate alternative approaches. These projects
have developed a series of strategies and target
groups that engage and use the strengths and assets
of diverse communities. Below is a list of five ex-
tremely effective strategies:
1.	Work through economic development opportuni-
ties (micro-enterprises) in economically stressed
communities to help families find better cleaning
alternatives that work effectively and do not trigger
asthmatic reactions.
2.	Ally with high schools to develop videos that carry
a message that is highly accessible to young
people. Using youth culture helps to increase the
appeal of environmental stewardship concepts.

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3.	Partner with the public library system to create
programs that educate and engage middle and
high school students in air toxics education and
youth-designed pollution prevention efforts.
4.	Collaborate with formal and informal educators
(e.g., schools, youth organizations, and neighbor-
hood associations) to help kindergartners through
adults learn how their behaviors can improve air.
5.	Establish a cooperative network with the school
districts and commercial fleets to reduce diesel
emissions from buses.
Lessons Learned
•	Governments must work on environmental issues in
a manner that respects the public's assets and
position.
•	The public is capable of managing complex
environmental issues; they handle things that are
far more complex every day.
•	Timing and process are critical features in relating
to communities.
•	Be innovative and creative; the same old solutions
(even those from last week) may not work tomor-
row.
•	Partnering together as a community helps us all
achieve a better life.
Project Contact
Marcus Rivas
Region 7, Project Officer
(913) 551-7669
Rivas.Marcus@epa.gov

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Glossar
Ti
•i
Botanies - Latino drug stores that sell herbal rem-
edies, oils, and icons.
Brownfields - Contaminated areas, usually within a
city or urban area, that are being cleaned up for
future industrial use. Areas cleaned up under a
brownfields program often are subject to different
requirements than sites cleaned up under the
Superfund program.
Charrette - An intensive, collaborative design
workshop, often lasting several days, that involves all
project stakeholders in the early phase of a project to
develop a comprehensive plan or design.
Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) -
Commonly known as Superfund, this Act established
prohibitions and requirements concerning closed and
abandoned hazardous waste sites, provided for
liability of persons responsible for releases of hazard-
ous waste at these sites, and established a trust to
provide for cleanup when no responsible party could
be identified.
Contaminants - Pollutants in air, water, soil, or food.
A contaminant could be chemicals released by a
facility, household products used incorrectly, car
exhaust, stream discharges, or other materials that
could cause harm to humans or the environment.
Cooperative Agreement- An assistance agreement
whereby EPA transfers money, property, services or
anything of value to a state, university, non-profit, or
not-for-profit organization for the accomplishment of
authorized activities or tasks.
Environmental Assessment (EA) - A preliminary
analysis required by the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA). The EA is used to determine
whether an activity supported by the federal govern-
ment would significantly affect the environment. Public
comments on the draft EA can be instrumental in
convincing an agency that a federal action is re-
quired.
Environmental Justice - the fair treatment of people
of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the
development, implementation, and enforcement of
environmental laws and policies, and their meaningful
involvement in the decision-making processes of the
government.
Federal Facility - Any building, structure, installation,
or equipment owned, operated, or funded by the
federal government.
Federal Register - The publication in which EPA and
other federal agencies publish their notices to the public
about proposed actions, and advertise public com-
ment periods. The Federal Register is searchable online
at: www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/
Groundwater - The supply of fresh water found
beneath the earth's surface, usually in aquifers, that
supply wells and springs. Because groundwater is a
major source of drinking water, there is growing
concern over contamination from leaching agricultural
or industrial pollutants or leaking underground storage
tanks.
Guidance - Recommendations on how laws should
be put into action, as opposed to formal regulations
or law.
Hazardous Substances - EPA defines this in two
ways: 1) any material that poses a threat to human
health and/or the environment. Typical hazardous
substances are toxic, corrosive, ignitable, explosive, or
chemically reactive; or 2) any substance designated
by EPA to be reported if a designated quantity of the
substance is spilled in the waters of the United States
oris otherwise released into the environment.
Hazardous Waste - Waste materials that contain
certain hazardous chemicals. RCRA sets out standards
for the handling, storage, transportation, treatment,
and disposal of hazardous wastes.
Particulates - 1. Fine liquid or solid particles such as
dust, smoke, mist, fumes, or smog, found in air or
emissions. 2. Very small solids suspended in water;
they can vary in size, shape, density and electrical
charge and can be gathered together by coagulation
and flocculation.
PCBs - Polychlorinated biphenyls, which are a
mixture of individual chemicals that are no longer
produced in the United States, but are still found in
the environment. PCBs were used as coolants and
lubricants in transformers, capacitors, and other
electrical equipment because they don't burn easily
and are good insulators. The manufacture of PCBs
was stopped in the U.S. in 1 977 because of evidence
they build up in the environment and can cause
harmful health effects. Products made before 1977

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that may contain PCBs include old fluorescent lighting
fixtures and electrical devices containing PCB capaci-
tors, and old microscope and hydraulic oils.
Pollution - The contamination of air, water, soil, or
food supplies by toxic and other pollutants.
Pollutant - Any substance introduced into the environ-
ment that negatively affects the usefulness of a
resource or the health of humans, animals, or ecosys-
tems. A pollutant could include chemicals released by
a facility, household products used incorrectly, car
exhaust, or other materials that could cause harm to
humans or the environment.
Polluter - One who releases pollutants or conducts
other activities without the required permits, or in
violation of those permits.
Regulations - The rules developed by agencies that
contain the details needed to implement the general
requirements found in laws. Regulations are devel-
oped in draft first. The public has an opportunity to
comment on regulations before they are finalized.
Removal Action - Short-term immediate actions
taken to address releases of hazardous substances
that require expedited response.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA) - This Act was enacted be Congress in
1 976. RCRA's primary goals are to protect human
health and the environment from the potential hazards
of waste disposal, to conserve energy and natural
resources, to reduce the amount of waste generated,
and to ensure that wastes are managed in an envi-
ronmentally sound matter.
Risk Assessment - A study or evaluation that
identifies, and in many cases quantifies, the potential
harm posed to health and the environment by
contamination. Risk assessments may make assump-
tions about the affected community that may not be
accurate.
Sediments - Soil, sand, and minerals washed from
land into water, usually after rain. They pile up in
reservoirs, rivers and harbors, destroying fish and
wildlife habitat, and clouding the water so that
sunlight cannot reach aquatic plants. Careless
farming, mining, and building activities will expose
sediment materials, allowing them to wash off the
land after rainfall.
Sensitive Populations - Groups of people who are
more at risk for illness or disease than the general
population. This could be because they are already in
poor health, or because they had more exposure to
certain pollutants than other people in similar situa-
tions.
Site Information Repository - A location where
public information about a Superfund cleanup is kept.
Sludge - A semi-solid residue from any of a number
of air or water treatment processes; can be a hazard-
ous waste.
Smart Growth - Development that serves the
economy, the community, and the environment.
Solid Waste - Any waste that is not hazardous. This
generally includes municipal garbage and nonhaz-
ardous industrial wastes.
Subsistence - What is required to maintain life.
Superfund - The program operated under the
legislative authority of CERCLA that funds and carries
out EPA solid waste emergency and long-term
removal and remedial activities. These activities
include establishing the National Priorities List, investi-
gating sites for inclusion on the list, determining their
priority, and conducting and/or supervising cleanup
and other remedial actions.
Toxic Substances Control Act - The primary
Federal statute regulating the use of certain chemicals
and substances, including asbestos, PCBs, radon and
lead.

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48

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Index of Projects by Office or Region
FFRRO
Community Involvement, Outreach, and Planning:
Examining Environmental Justice at Federal Facilities	41
OBCR
Brownfields Revitalization:
Negotiated Rulemaking Committee on All Appropriate Inquiry	19
OSRTI
Superfund:
The Development of the Contaminated Sediments Video: Impacts and Solutions	27
Task Force Report on the Ritualistic Uses of Mercury	28
2003 Superfund Jobs Training Initiative (SuperJTI) Project at the Abex Superfund Site in Portsmouth, Virginia ... 29
IPCO
Environmental Justice Awareness Training:
OSWER Environmental Justice Training	38
Region 1
Superfund:
Fish Smart Campaign, New Bedford, Massachusetts	21
Environmental Justice Awareness Training:
Environmental Justice Guidance Compendium	35
Environmental Justice Mapping Tool	36
Region 2
Brownfields Revitalization:
ERA Seed Funding Helps Elizabeth, New Jersey; Grow Affordable Housing	9
North Hempstead, New York: Brownfields Redevelopment Defined by Community to Serve Community	10
Trenton, New Jersey: Magic Marker Land Revitalization Demonstration Project	II
Brownfields Program Development in Puerto Rico	13
The Seneca Nation of Indians, New York, Brownfields Revitalization	14
Superfund:
Partnering with the St. Regis Mohawk Nation to Remediate Superfund Sites in Masenna, New York	22
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act:
RCRA Partnerships to Address Solid Waste Landfills and Used Oil Management in the U.S. Virgin Islands	31
2003 Compliance Assistance and Environmental Enforcement Sweep, Paterson, New Jersey	32

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Region 3
Environmental Justice Awareness Training:
Environmental Justice All States Meetings	36
Cumulative Risk Workshop, Philadelphia, PA, May 2003	38
Community Involvement, Outreach, and Planning:
Auto Body Shop Initiative	42
Region 4
Brownfields Revitalization:
ReCenesis Revitalization Project, Spartanburg, SC	15
Superfund:
Vision 2020: Anniston Children's Health Project, Anniston, Alabama	23
Community Involvement, Outreach, and Planning:
Teachers Environmental Institutes	43
Region 5
Brownfields Revitalization:
Environmental Justice Revitalization Project in the City of Waukegan, Illinois	16
Superfund:
Airborne Lead Contamination: Master Metals Superfund Site in Northeast Detroit, Michigan	25
Region 7
Brownfields Revitalization:
The Haven of Grace, St. Louis, Missouri	17
St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation, St. Louis, Missouri	17
Community Involvement, Outreach, and Planning:
St. Louis Community AIR Outreach	44
Region 8
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act:
Migrant Farm Worker Safety Notice	33
Region 10
Brownfields Revitalization:
Enforcing the Lead Disclosure Rule to Protect Tenants, and Especially Young Children, from Potentially Toxic
Exposure	18
Superfund:
Outreach to Hispanic Community: Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site	26

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