Most Sacramento residents are concerned about the environment in which they daily live. They are concerned about the cleanliness of their air and water. They are concerned that their work places and their homes are free from contamination that may harm them and their loved ones. And they want known environmental problem areas to quickly be restored to their former status so those who may wish to take advantage of them for home, work or recreation can do so without worry.

One major environmental problem in the northern part of Sacramento County is the cleanup underway at the former McClellan AFB located in North Highlands.

I am an appointed member of what is known as the McClellan RAB (Restoration Advisory Board), and work with Air Force (the former owners/users of the base that now is a technology center known as McClellan Park), federal, state and local government agencies and other community members to provide input on behalf of the community regarding cleanup actions that should be taken at McClellan Park that are most cost effective, will clean it up to agreed upon standards, and that will allow for reuse of the property as quickly as possible.

A few years ago, I wrote a lay person article about the ongoing cleanup and the RAB, and have only recently updated it.

Please click here to view it should this be an area of interest for you.

Part of the inherent responsibility of the RAB members when providing advice is to concern themselves with how proposed actions may impact the community. In other words, we are to ask the questions you may want answered before signing off on a proposed plan of action.

One example is found at a state’s Contaminated Vapor Treatment Technology Workgroup site of which I was the public member working with environmental organizational representatives and state regulatory agency representatives to structure an understandable template for public use.

This group was chartered under the leadership of the Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) with a purpose of providing the public information that they could understand and that would assist them in asking necessary questions of the professionals who wrote the proposals and implementation plans for toxic cleanup.

Should you be interested in the result of that workgroup, please go to website http://sve.ucdavis.edu/Index.htm. I suggest you especially make it a point to visit the “questions for community use” portion of the site. Hopefully the questions listed there will become the benchmark questions that RAB members will ask as they represent you in the development of the cleanup proposals.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites