Communities are involved

in federal facility transfers.

4

EPA’s Chris Cora tells of

activities at Adak.

6

Wurtsmith Air Force Base

is a model for community

involvement.

on contamination identified more than 60,000 potential sites, with a projected price tag of $250

billion. When people consider FFRRO and its participation in environmental cleanup projects, they

tend to associate us solely with the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program. While this

initiative, started by President Clinton and undertaken with the support of the U.S. Department of

Defense (DoD), is significant, it is only one of our many programs. 

by Renee Wynn, Associate

Director of FFRRO

New EPA guidance is

paving the way for faster

reuse and development of

closed federal properties.

Before this new guidance,

which implements a recent statutory change in

the Comprehensive Environmental Response,

Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA),

contaminated property had to undergo a

complete cleanup before it could be transferred.

Consequently, transfers often took years to

execute, delaying restoration and reuse plans.

Now, communities are reaping the benefits of

new businesses, jobs, and recreational facilities,

as well as stronger economies, as a result of faster

transfer.

The Early Transfer Guidance applies to those

sites on which hazardous waste was released or

disposed of or where hazardous waste was stored

for more than one year. It enables federal

agencies to transfer contaminated properties to

new owners after they have made certain

assurances to EPA regarding treatment, use, and

access to the site. With such assurances, EPA can

fulfill its responsibility to protect human health

and the surrounding environment.

Early Transfer Requirements

Before a federal agency can transfer property to

a new owner through this quicker process, it

must submit to EPA a covenant deferral request.

The request must include a detailed description

of the contamination on the property and how it

Early Transfer Guidance Speeds Redevelopment

Federal Cleanups That Put Citizens First

<Continued on Page 2>

<Continued on Page 7>

Volume 1 n Issue 1

BreakingNews
We at FFRRO are excited about

Partners In Progress and its potential

to help stakeholders share vital

information. We encourage you to

write articles and announcements for

upcoming issues. Whether you are a participant on

a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), a member of a

BRAC Cleanup Team (BCT), a concerned citizen, or

a DOE project manager, we want to hear from you! 

This informational publication is designed to

give you a voice on issues pertaining to the

cleanup and reuse of federal facilities. Please 

share with our readers—your colleagues and 

constituents—your successes, challenges, and 

fresh perspectives. 

Partners In Progress will be released on a

quarterly basis to about 2,000 readers across the

country. Our mailing list currently includes EPA,

DoD, and DOE personnel; members of RABs and

SSABs; concerned citizens; and tribal parties. We

hope to reach an even greater audience by posting

Partners In Progress on FFRRO’s Internet home

page.

If there is a topic that you would like us to report

on, please let us know. We also welcome your

input and ideas for improvement.

Debby Leblang

Outreach and Communications Coordinator

Phone: 202 260-8302

E-mail: leblang.deborah@epa.gov

2Partners In Progress

p

More than 9,000 DoD sites, for example, are not on the NPL,

but may require cleanup. Our office and our regions work very

closely with states and the Association of State and Territorial

Solid Waste Management Officials at such sites.

Many of the contamination challenges we address occurred

as a result of the Cold War. Although the Cold War is over, its

environmental legacy will take decades, if not centuries, to

overcome. It extends beyond the environment, impacting the

health and well being of a number of host communities, Native

Americans, and environmental justice communities. It is

FFRRO’s mission to help the federal government meet its

responsibilities to these people.

Partners In Progress will convey relevant information, present

thought-provoking commentary, and highlight federal facility

issues. While there can be a tendency in informational updates to

focus on the programs that produce them, we intend also to

showcase the achievements of our regional counterparts, like

Chris Cora in Region 10, who is working on a base closure in

Alaska (page 4). Their excellent work is responsible for much of

the program’s success. We also will include articles and

commentary from other EPA offices, federal agencies, tribes, local 

governments, states, and public stakeholders. Although the 

various contributors might not always agree on issues, we all 

share the common goal of cleaning up contamination to make

federal facilities safe for present and future generations. In the

spirit of partnership, we hope to make Partners In Progress a true

community effort. 
• Strengthen stakeholder networks

We are working to meet these objectives through a variety

of avenues including regional coordination, training seminars,

partnerships, research projects, and technical and financial

assistance. Described here are a few ways FFRRO works to

implement the Blueprint for Action.

First, EPA established a forum, the Federal Facilities

Environmental Restoration Dialogue Committee (FFERDC),

to create consensus goals for future cleanup. The committee

was composed of a diverse cross section of stakeholders.

Through dedication and tireless effort, they produced a set of

principles and recommendations used to tackle the enormous

challenges of contamination at federal facilities. The principles

underscore the importance of partnerships with federal agencies,

local governments, communities, and other stakeholders when

cleanup decisions and priorities reflect

a broad spectrum of stakeholder input. To strengthen

stakeholder involvement in affected communities, agencies

conducting and overseeing cleanup and related public health

activities must focus more on environmental justice.

Historically, indigenous peoples, low-income communities,

and minorities have not been adequately involved in decisionmaking and priority-setting at federal facilities.

To help ensure meaningful participation by various

stakeholders, we have awarded grants to representatives from

state and local governments, indigenous organizations,

environmental justice groups, and academic institutions. The

grants expand awareness of environmental restoration activities

at the local level and provide an opportunity for community

participation. FFRRO grants support training for impacted

communities, participation of citizens on advisory boards, access

to vital information, and implementation of the FFERDC

principles. 

Although the Blueprint for Action provides a foundation,

stakeholder involvement is always evolving. If you have

questions or comments on this or other community issues,

please call me at 202 260-6626 or e-mail me at

<minter.marsha@epa.gov>.

The Community Connection Reflection:

“For it has been truly said that we have not

inherited the Earth from our parents but have

borrowed it from our children.”

—Billy Arjan Singh
specific. 

Q: What project are you working on now?

A: I'm working on the base closure of Adak Naval Air Facility.

Adak is an island in the Aleutian chain, roughly 1,300 miles

southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. The island has served as a 

strategic military base since WWII for both the Army and the

Navy. It's also one of few sites in the United States that has

actually seen combat during this century—U.S. military

personnel drove Japanese troops from the Aleutian Islands during

WWII. Now, the island is also a maritime refuge for fish and

wildlife.

where there is no municipal government.

Q: How is UXO influencing the reuse plans of

this base?

A: That's the dilemma we're facing now. The RAB, made up of

representatives of all Adak stakeholders, needs to determine the

best course of action. We have to consider all the implications. O

one hand, the Adak base is a complete town with housing for

6,000 people, schools, a hospital, shops, and a bowling alley. It's

an ideal site for reuse in many ways. But without cleanup, the

human risk is enormous. Unfortunately, the price tag for

remediation is enormous as well.

We're really between a rock and a hard place. It's up to the 

decision-makers—the Navy, EPA, and the state—to determine

whether they want to clear the island of UXO, allow reuse withou

clearance, or refuse to transfer the island. If transfer occurs, it will

require a long-term commitment by the Aleut Corporation to

enforce restriction of access to UXO areas. 

Q: What exactly is EPA's role in the closure of

these bases?

A: It can vary from site to site, but mainly EPA provides

recommendations for cleanup, develops risk assessments

regarding contaminants and other environmental factors, and

evaluates cleanup activities. Because Adak is an NPL site, EPA

must ensure that the decisions made satisfy the primary criteria

4Partners In Progress
UXO cleanup?

A: DoD requested that the Defense Science Board study

UXO remediation and other cleanup and disposal processes

in which ordnance of any sort is concerned. In addition, the

Range Rule, a DoD measure currently in development,

proposes a new investigation, evaluation, and procedure for

clearing UXO that will help in future cases, but does not

aid in determining Adak's future. On a more regional level,

I briefed Senator Ted Stevens's staff in June on issues facing

Adak. He wants to find a satisfactory solution for Adak and

has supported higher appropriations for the Navy's cleanup

efforts.

Q: What other cleanup activities are taking

place at Adak?

A: The rest of the cleanup process is going very well.

The Navy has been very proactive in addressing heavily

contaminated sites within the base. It has capped all the

landfills and completed numerous cleanups of

polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The Navy also is

working to contain asbestos in many buildings. The state of

Alaska has been instrumental in cleaning up various types

of fuel spills, which comprise a good 80 percent of

Adak's pollution problems.

Alaska

A

➤

dak
Track Cleanup Program. The program

accelerates the cleanup of closed

military bases and speeds the economic

recovery of communities affected by

those closings. This column showcases

cleanup and reuse accomplishments.

Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan

Wurtsmith Air Force Base, located on more than 5,000 acres

in northeast Michigan, stood ready for more than 70 years to

support strategic bombing operations worldwide. In this

capacity, the base managed supplies of aircraft fuel, mechanical

companies that brought more than 1,000 jobs to the area,

helping to boost the community’s economy. Another reuse

accomplishment that saved both time and money was the

transfer of airport runways for immediate public use to the

Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport Authority.

Thanks to these partnerships and the combined effort to

protect human health and the environment, the Wurtsmith

facility continues to be a source of pride and benefit to the

community it serves.

If you would like Partners In Progress to report on a success you

have observed or participated in, please call Debby Leblang at

202 260-8302 or e-mail her at <leblang.deborah@epa.gov>.

www.epa.gov/swerffrr

Looking for a point of contact at

FFRRO? Check out FFRRO’s home

page which features a calendar of

upcoming events, along with an

impressive collection of online 

documents covering base closure,

innovative technologies, and laws and

regulations. The home page currently showcases BRAC

success stories at installations across the country, 

spotlighting achievements in community involvement and

innovative technology applications. 

www.denix.osd.mil

The DENIX (Defense Environmental Network &

Information eXchange) site provides up-to-date

information regarding environmental compliance,

restoration, and cleanup. The site is divided into four

sections: DoD, State, International, and Public. All publiclyavailable information can be obtained from the Public

menu. Access is restricted on the other sites, but a

password can be obtained after meeting certain

registration requirements.

If you would like Partners in Progress to highlight your

organization’s home page, please e-mail Debby Leblang

at <leblang.deborah@epa.gov>.

6Partners In Progress

Cyber N e w s
• Assurances that the necessary cleanup actions have been,

are, or will be completed. 

regarding the restoration and reuse of federal facilities can be

found on FFRRO’s home page at

<www.epa.gov/swerffrr/doc/hkcover.htm>.

Join Our Mailing List

If you would like to be on the FFRRO mailing list to receive future issues of Partners In Progress, please fill out and return this

form to ERG, c/o Leo Pineda, 2200 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 400, Arlington, VA 22201-3324 or fax to 703 841-1440. Alternately,

you can send your request via e-mail to <lpineda@erg.com>.

Write To Us

We encourage your questions, comments, and

contributions. Please send your comments to Debby

Leblang by mail at EPA/FFRRO, mailcode: 5101, 401 M

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460; e-mail at 

<leblang.deborah@epa.gov>; or by fax at 202 260-5646.

Name: _____________________________________________

Agency/Organization: _________________________________

Street Address: ______________________________________

________________________________________________

City: _______________________________________________

State:__________ Zip Code: ___________________________

Phone Number:______________________________________

E-mail: _____________________________________________
1EPA

United States 

Environmental Protection Agency

(5101)

Washington, DC 20460

8Partners In Progress

2Printed on paper that contains at least 20 percent postconsumer fiber.