joining dialogue by fax

[Armando Quintanilla <kahn.lisa@epa.gov>]

This is Lisa Kahn at EPA, putting in a posting for the dialogue from Armando C. Quintanilla, who wants to participate but who has no computer.  Armando faxed the following message to us.

For the record my name is Armando C. Quintanilla.  I reside at 70 Bristol Green,  San Antonio, Texas 78209-1899.  My phone number is 210-804-2126 and my fax number is 210-826-5763.  I am a member of the Kelly AFB Restoration Advisory Board, the National RAB caucus, and the San Antonio Center for Health and Environmental Justice.  I do not have a computer.

	I would like to start off by stating that I do not view EPA as a just, kind and respected agency as far as public involvement in EPA decisions.  Let me explain.

	Kelly AFB has contaminated our neighborhoods.  Contaminated ground water is under 20,000 homes.  The residents of these homes are low income 90% Hispanic.  EPA has known of this contamination since the 1980's and to this date EPA has not forced Texas state regulators to come up with a plan to remove the contaminants from under our homes, schools, streets and churches.

	EPA officials who attend the RAB meetings have never compelled Air Force officials and Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) regulators to consider and address issues of environmental justice nor spoke in behalf of the residents and their right to participate in back door meetings.  

	In this regard EPA officials have never allowed stakeholders living in the contaminated areas to participate with EPA in meetings with the Base Closure Team (BCT) where cleanup and remedial decisions are made.  In fact EPA and BCT members have repeatedly ignored our requests to be involved.  Members of the BCT make key decisions on the restoration of Kelly AFB and our neighborhoods.  Excluding Mexican-Americans is discriminatory, but again EPA officials have never brought this discriminatory practice and non-public involvement to EPA higher ups nor to EPA's Office of Civil Rights.  Why?  

	Another non-involvement EPA decision making action is the Public Involvement Conference held in San Antonio.  All the participants were big time EPA officials.  The Southwest Workers Union protested and demonstrated for hours before EPA conference officials allowed two or three minority persons living in the contaminated neighborhoods adjacent to Kelly to speak on public involvement.  Again EPA excluded participation and Public Involvement of populations because of their national origin.  When will this discrimination by EPA stop?

	Concerning EPA's last December 28th draft Public Involvement policy, and its 20 year Participation Policy; I have no comments.  I have never heard or seen the draft policy list of goals and objectives.  I hope our government realizes that underserved populations are the last to know or maybe EPA just didn't want to keep us informed in the past.

	Suggested ways that EPA should identify interested and affected parties is through:

1.  Newspaper ads requesting members of the public to notify EPA of their interests through a toll free 1-800 line. 

2.   EPA can enable minority low income and underserved populations by establishing citizen review committees at every Superfund Site.  The Citizen Review Committees CRC's should be co-chaired by EPA and have facilitators.  The establishment of CRC's would provide interested parties with a forum to discuss and provide input, and decision making in all phases of Superfund cleanup activities including budgets and contracts as required in 10 USC 2705 (c) and Executive Order 12580, "Superfund Implementation".

3.   EPA can better distribute information to a national audience by remembering that its sole mission is to serve the people, protect the environment and peoples health.

4.   EPA must listen to the people.  There must be communications up and across with the taxpayers.  Just communication down from EPA does not cut it.  Listen to the people.

5.   EPA must get rid of its answering machines and stop giving the people the "idiot treatment" by not answering their questions and shuffling them from one bureaucrat to another.

6.   EPA should train their staffs to listen to the taxpayers -- not just to the polluters.

7.   The length of time it takes to get a response to a Freedom of Information request is incredible.  Then EPA charges you for this delayed information.  EPA should stop withholding information through bureaucratic delaying tactics.

8.   EPS's information services should launch a new more useful user friendly Web Site.  The Web Site should have easier-to-remember addresses, and organized by service categories, instead of by EPA organizations.

9.   In order for EPA to insure that the public has adequate time to review information, EPA must remember that the public works from 7am to 5pm.  The only time the public can participate effectively is from about 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the decision making processes.



July 13- 

Financial assistance that stakeholders and the public need to participate effectively are:

1.  Technical grants for advisors to interpret EPA directives, regulations, environmental investigations, studies and proposed remedial actions of contaminated sites, drinking water, contaminated soils, polluted air, etc.

2. Grants for Health advisors to interpret ATSDR Reports and other health information from federal, state and local health agencies.

3.  EPA can involve individuals and groups without computer access by conducting:

	- Town Hall meetings at proposed or known contaminated sites.
	- Environmental justice forums.
	- Coming to San Antonio and talking to groups such as:
	*	The Southwest Public Workers Union
	*	Center for Health & Environmental Justice
	*	Center for Environmental Justice and Action
	*	The Maverick Alliance

Note: EPA people do come to San Antonio but they only talk to the polluters, they never come to our neighborhood meetings. Por Que?

We, our culture does not feel comfortable conversing with a machine.
We prefer talking to a live person, face to face or over the telephone.

That's all for Friday - will start again later.
Please tell me what you think and if I should continue.

Thank you,
Armando C. Quintanilla
phone: 210-804-2126
fax: 210-826-5763