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EPA Seeks Bourne Citizen Representation for Impact Area Review Team

Release Date: 02/05/2003
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Community Involvement Office, 617-918-1064

Boston, MA. The New England office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is seeking citizen representation from Bourne to serve on EPA's Impact Area Review Team (IART).

EPA established the Impact Area Review Team in 1997 to provide a forum for local citizens to assist the agency in ensuring a thorough and timely investigation and cleanup of Camp Edwards. Membership of the IART includes volunteers from the Upper Cape towns, federal and state regulatory agencies, the National Guard Bureau, and other military organizations at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR). EPA is seeking to fill a vacancy for a Bourne resident. The IART meets the fourth Tuesday evening of each month at various locations in Bourne, Sandwich, Mashpee, and Falmouth.

As members of the IART, citizens provide feedback on investigation and cleanup decisions, help evaluate the progress of cleanups, and recommend approaches to keep the public informed and involved. A scientific or technical background is helpful, but not required. Bourne residents near the MMR boundary who may be potentially affected by contamination released from the base are encouraged to seek membership on the IART.

Bourne citizens interested in becoming IART members are encouraged to attend a minimum of two IART meetings to get a sense of the work and time commitment involved in being on the IART. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 25 at 6:00 p.m. at the Falmouth Holiday Inn. The March meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 25 at a location to be announced.

If you have any questions or would like to be considered for membership on the IART, please contact Jim Murphy, EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator at 617-918-1028, or toll-free at 1-888-372-7341, extension 81028, or by e-mail at murphy.jim@epa.gov. Interested citizens will also be requested to attend the IART meeting on March 25, 2003 to introduce themselves to the current team members.