Community Affairs Panel
Presented by: Maria Amaya and Veronica Corella-Barud, University of Texas at El Paso; Kim Collins, San Diego State University; Paul Rasmussen, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Rick Van Schoik, SCERP Directorate; Jose Velasco, Arizona State University; Randy Sturgeon and Vance Evans, Region 3, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The Community Affairs Panel includes two separate presentations: one on community issues along the U.S. Mexican border, and one on environmental justice issues at a hazardous waste site in Virginia. The two sessions, each 90 minutes in length, are:

Engagement of the Unique Communities in the U.S.-Mexican Border Region by the Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy
The goal of the presentation is to portray the essential role of communities in general, but especially unique border communities, in the successful planning, conduct, and dissemination of environmental health research, and the implementation of recommended results. The communities of the U.S.-Mexican border region are often rural, impoverished, marginalized, and underserved. They often lack basic environmental infrastructure and information and as such are at risk from many threats. The Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP), a binational consortium of universities, has conducted several environmental health studies along the border. During this session, the methodologies and results of several SCERP studies and activities will be presented. The specific topics to be presented include: risk perceptions in Colonias; lead in border communities; border air quality issues; and BorderEcoWeb and Institute. The session concludes with an open discussion with conference participants. The positive results of SCERP’s work will be presented as well as some of the key lessons learned.(i.e., the limited role of the internet, public service announcements, and electronic communications) that are applicable to other disenfranchised communities.

Universal Empowerment that Yields Effective Relationships During Site Cleanups or Trust is a Must or the Cleanup’s a Bust
Environmental cleanups can often be a technical nightmare for those doing the work. Treatment technologies, schedules and logistics are, however, only the tip of the iceberg. Any cleanup can also pose numerous social issues and stressors for communities and remedial officials (such as government and contractor entities) as well. Whether the residents are affluent or impoverished fears, tempers and misunderstandings can escalate. One may face additional hurdles if and when Environmental Justice concerns are present.

This presentation will discuss ways to forge trust and positive communication between communities and those involved in the cleanup. On one hand, communities need to understand the procedures and limitations that define the scope of a cleanup. Conversely, officials need to also understand the particular needs, issues and concerns of each community. This will help lead to open and effective communications between all parties. The panel will consist of presenters from the EPA, as well as a video interview with a community leader from the site that will be used as a case study. Also, portions of a televised face off between the site’s project manager and the community representative will be shown.

View/Download presentation materials in PDF format:
(1.14MB/PDF)