OSWER Community Engagement Initiative

The EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) has created a Community Engagement Initiative to facilitate meaningful community participation in decision-making processes related to protecting human health and the environment.

Based on input from participants across the country, EPA published a Community Engagement Action Plan this past summer to outline the guiding principles, goals and actions to support this initiative.

The specific action and activities that EPA will undertake to achieve the goals of the Action Plan are laid out in the Community Engagement Implementation Plan.

The actions EPA established for the Community Engagement Initiative include:

* Action 1 - Decision-Making Processes and Guidance
* Action 2 - Underground Storage Tank (UST) Programs
* Action 3 - Best Community Engagement Practices
* Action 4 - OSWER Regulation and Guidance Development
* Action 5 - Community Engagement Policies and Activities related to Enforcement
* Action 6 - CERCLA Enforcement Involving Federal Facilities
* Action 7 - EPA Technical Assistance Processes
* Action 8 - Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) Program
* Action 9 - Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Pilot Program
* Action 10 - Public Health Information on OSWER Projects
* Action 11 - Risk Communication Processes and Comprehensive Education Program
* Action 12 - Sampling and Testing Results
* Action 13 - Delivery of Information
* Action 14 - Community Engagement Training Program
* Action 15 - Measures of Effectiveness and Annual Report
* Action 16 - Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program

More information can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/oswer/engagementinitiative/