Speaking Up & Reaching Out: Increasing Community

Engagement in the Twin Cities Superfund Process

Rachel Benson
Thesis Advisors: Dr. Joe Storlien & Dr. Derek Larson
Introduction Case Studies
Superfund is a program under the Environmental Protection Site Contamination Issues
Agency (EPA) that was designed to clean up environmentally
contaminated sites throughout the United States. Since its
creation, funding for the program has substantially decreased Over 21,000 tons of
and the process has gained a stigma for having become a slow, Love, Canal, hazardous chemicals disposed
inefficient process. This research seeks to answer: does active NY of in a local landfill-
public participation contribute to a more efficient Superfund 1983
cleanup process? And how can we incorporate the most
effective community engagement possible at Superfund sites in
the Twin Cities metropolitan region of Minnesota?
Contaminants consisting
mostly of heavy metals found
Saltville, VA in soil, sediment, surface
1996 water, and groundwater from
local chlorine gas plant
Figure 1: Nearly 1 in 6
Americans live within three
miles of the more than 1,700
Superfund sites in the nation
Chemicals from pesticide and
Tifton, GA herbicide formulation plant
contaminated soil and
1989
groundwater
Methods
 Use scholarly articles to determine whether public
participation matters in effectiveness and efficiency of
Duwamish River
Lessons Learned
 Create citizen-led coalitions
 Engage in multiple types of
activism
 Create a sense of urgency
 Always recognize cultural, social,
political, and economic context
Figure 2: Arnstein’s Ladder
of a site Degrees of Citizen Participation
 Build trust between EPA and
community
Conclusion
 Community engagement measures keep the EPA
and other stakeholders accountable, leading to a
 Recognize environmental justice
more thorough and effective cleanup process.
concerns
 The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Build trust among stakeholders
(MPCA) is in charge of cleanup in the Twin

Allow community participation

Cities, often partnering with the Minnesota
in data collection
Department of Health. Most of the sites are
affected by chemical contamination in landfills,
Employ a variety of educational
soil, sediments, and groundwater. Most of the


Superfund cleanups. programming

contaminated with PCBs,
Seattle, WA
 Use the EPA Superfund database to select four case studies arsenic, and other
that would demonstrate both successful community 2001 carcinogenic chemicals from
sites employ an Egalitarian Deliberation
framework, meaning that communication
 Provide technical assistance
strategies mostly consist of distributing
Celebrate unique aspects of the
information to community members but little is


engagement strategies and ways in which community several industries community

done to provide citizens opportunities for
engagement failed.
decision-making.
 Compare each case study to Arstein’s Ladder of Participation Superfund sites can broaden their community
and four different public participation frameworks: Science- Why does public participation matter? 

engagement efforts by building coalitions and

Centered Stakeholder Consultation, Egalitarian A 2007 study found that when citizens participate in Superfund procedure, the seeking more stakeholders, using interactive
Deliberation, Efficient Cooperation, and Informed EPA is more likely to choose a more health protective, effective remedy. In other workshops to increase environmental literacy,
Collaboration. words, the EPA is most responsive to sites that have active community engagement.
creating programming that celebrates the culture
Apply strategies to a community engagement framework in The study also found that Superfund sites with fewer African Americans are more

likely to have responsive cleanups from the EPA, suggesting that an inefficient and history of the affected community, and
the Twin Cities of Minnesota Superfund process is an environmental justice issue. providing forums for technical assistance.