Webinar: EPA Superfund Cleanup Settlement Model Includes Enhanced Environmental Justice Provisions 10/12/21

EPA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) recently issued updated versions of two model settlement documents used to reach agreement with potentially responsible parties (PRPs) for cleaning up Superfund sites. EPA/DOJ Public Webinar on 2021 Models: EPA and DOJ will host a public webinar on October 12, 2021 at 1:00-2:30pm EDT to review the revisions to the model language, the structural improvements to the documents, and the new community engagement language. You can register for the Introduction to the 2021 Streamlined Model RD/RA Consent Decree and Statement of Work webinar at https://clu-in.org/conf/tio/RDRACDSOW/. The revised model includes important new language regarding community engagement efforts, which supports the Agency’s commitment to protection of underserved communities disproportionately impacted by pollution. The language demonstrates steps taken by EPA to build on the commitments presented in the July 2021 memorandum “Strengthening Environmental Justice Through Cleanup Enforcement Actions.” The new community engagement language in the model will:

1. Add more opportunities for community outreach by requiring PRPs to share information about the work being performed at a site;
2. Develop site-specific informational materials for the public that reflects information in EJSCREEN, and other resources, and ensures that documents are translated based on the dominant language(s) of the community members;
3. Provide more information in Superfund site-specific web pages, specifically about the various stages of the cleanup work and the schedule for expected completion dates; and
4. Develop site-specific Community Mitigation Impact Plans to address unintended impacts that may occur when the cleanup work gets underway.