MASSACHUSETTS MILITARY RESERVATION, Cape Cod, Mass.—On June 3, a scheduled review began of all 80 sites on the Massachusetts Military Reservation for which the Air Force has the lead cleanup responsibility. The purpose of the review is to determine whether cleanup decisions made during the past five years are still protective of human health and the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires a review of all Superfund sites every five years. Officials of the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence at the MMR will complete the review by the end of this year.

The MMR is on the National Priorities List, commonly known as the Superfund List. Congress established the Superfund Program in 1980 to locate, investigate, and clean up the worst hazardous waste sites nationwide. The EPA administers the Superfund Program.

"Even though we have an on-going process to make sure that our cleanup actions are protective, we see this review as an opportunity to evaluate -- in one report -- all of the assumptions and decisions made on groundwater plumes and source areas that the Air Force is cleaning up," said Robert M. Gill, Air Force remediation program manager at the MMR. "We plan to use the results to develop recommendations and follow-up actions for any site where the review shows that changes are needed in the cleanup plan."

Mr. Gill asks for public assistance during the report preparation period. "We will be reviewing past reports on each of the sites, and we’ll use the public’s input for possible follow-up actions," Gill said. "Specifically, we’re asking that anyone who has seen vandalism, trespassing or any other unusual activities at any of our sites to contact us. Also, we’re interested in hearing about ways that the cleanup has helped the area."

The final report of the so-called "Five-Year Review" will also be submitted to officials of the EPA and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.