Robert Underwood: “This amendment will take citizens who live near contaminated bases, put them at the table with base commanders, and help…”

“This amendment will take citizens who live near contaminated bases, put them at the table with base commanders, and help them participate in the base cleanup decisionmaking process. Thousands of military installations throughout the 50 States and the territories have environmentally contaminated sites. Too often, citizens who live near those facilities are not informed about the problem, do not trust the personnel in charge of clean-up, and fear for their health and well-being. The result, at best, is strained civilian/ military relations. At worst, we get costly lawsuits between the community and the military. The Department of Defense has taken steps to address this problem. It has established restoration advisory boards, or RAB's: citizen advisory boards that advise base commanders on the community's needs and concerns. However, the advisory boards now in place are missing a very important ingredient: technical assistance. What good does it do to bring citizens to the table if they are not informed on the issue?”