Norwood, Pennsylvania: EPA Technical Assistance Resources
Providing independent technical assistance to communities helps people better understand technical issues related to the Superfund Process. With this assistance, communities are then in a better position to share their concerns and priorities with EPA.
Technical assistance refers to the provision of services focused on increasing community understanding of the science, regulations and policy related to environmental issues and EPA actions. To support healthy communities and strengthen environmental protection, EPA works closely with communities to make sure they have the technical help they need. Sometimes, a community may need more help to fully understand local environmental issues and participate in decision-making. EPA provides additional assistance to communities through a variety of technical assistance resources and tools, listed below. If you are interested in learning more about Superfund technical assistance resources, please contact Gina Soscia, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator at soscia.gina@epa.gov or 215-814-5538.
Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) Program
The Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) Program provides services through a national EPA contract. Under the contract, a contractor provides scientists, engineers and other professionals to review and explain information to communities. TASC services are determined on a project-specific basis and provided at no cost to communities.
Community Advisory Groups
A Community Advisory Group (CAG) is made up of representatives of diverse community interests. A CAG is designed to serve as the focal point for the exchange of information among the local community and EPA, the State regulatory agency, and other pertinent Federal agencies involved in the Superfund process. Its purpose is to provide a public forum for community members to present and discuss their needs and concerns related to the Superfund decision-making process. A CAG can assist EPA in making better decisions on how to address a site. It offers EPA a unique opportunity to hear-and seriously consider-community preferences for site cleanup and remediation. However, the existence of a CAG does not eliminate the need for the Agency to keep the community informed about plans and decisions throughout the Superfund process.
More information can be found on EPA’s Superfund Community Advisory Groups Website.