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Public
Participation
DOE and Fluor Fernald meet regularly with
citizens on Fernald cleanup plans and issues (7802D-04).
Building
relationships and earning public trust and respect after decades of
controversy and secrecy takes time and consistent, quality performance.
Today, project managers, regulators and citizens share a stake in the
decision process and work together to find practical, balanced solutions
to complex cleanup issues. However, this hasn’t always been the case.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the site was
conducting a remedial investigation/feasibility study to
characterize site hazards and determine the best cleanup solutions.
Fernald followed a regulatory mandated public review process that
allowed opportunities for public comment, but did little to break
down long-standing communication barriers. Local residents and
community leaders were concerned that decisions, which would
ultimately affect their lives, would be made behind closed doors or
with limited public input. They insisted on more frequent,
face-to-face interaction with site decision-makers.
In response, DOE and Fluor Fernald
adopted a new public participation strategy that combined strong
public information and outreach programs with direct, two-way
communication between management and the public early in the
decision process. Fernald decision-makers began meeting with
stakeholder groups more frequently in various forums (i.e.,
workshops, roundtables) to provide information about cleanup plans,
invite feedback and answer questions. DOE also invited stakeholders
to tour the site so they could become familiar with Fernald’s
cleanup challenges.
In
1993, DOE established the
Fernald Citizens Task Force, now called the
Fernald Citizens Advisory Board (FCAB), to consider
these issues and others that were threatening cleanup progress.
Within two years, the Task Force provided recommendations to DOE
that became the foundation of Fernald’s cleanup program, saved
taxpayers billions of dollars and cut years off the schedule. For
the first time, project managers, regulators and citizens shared a
stake in the decision process and worked together to find practical,
balanced solutions to controversial social and economic issues,
such as acceptable risk and remediation levels and
long-term waste disposal. Since completing its 1995 report to DOE,
the FCAB has issued over 50 recommendations on various issues,
including waste transportation, site stewardship, natural resource
restoration and cleanup funding, and has become a national model for
public participation.
In 1994, DOE and Fluor Fernald
established the Fernald Envoy Program to bridge the communication
gap between citizens and decision-makers by building relationships
based on trust and respect. Selected from all fields and
disciplines, including engineering, management, construction, labor
and support organizations, Fernald Envoys serve as the eyes and ears
for local business leaders, labor unions, school officials,
environmental groups, regulatory agencies and elected officials.
Their job is to provide timely information about Fernald to the
community and relay public concerns and ideas back to
decision-makers. The Envoys helped DOE finalize site cleanup plans
during the 1990s and continue to serve stakeholders as Fernald plans
for site closure.
Although most cleanup plans have
been selected and Fernald is on schedule to complete its mission in
late 2006, stakeholders continue to monitor cleanup progress and are
working with management and regulators to determine long-term
stewardship and other post-closure issues. DOE has approved plans
for
final land use and
public use of the site, and will
continue its partnership with stakeholders
until cleanup and site restoration are complete.
For More
Information
Contact Sue Walpole, S.M. Stoller, 513-648-4026, email: Sue.Walpole@lm.doe.gov,
or visit the Fernald Community
Calendar.
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