Community involvement in the defense department installation restoration program

As its major form of community involvement in its Installation Restoration Program (IRP), the Department of Defense (DOD) created Restoration Advisory Boards (RABs). These RABs serve the purpose of providing citizen input into DOD's cleanup approaches to abandoned hazardous waste situations at its various installations. At first, this approach applied only to installations slated for closure, but now it has been applied to all installations. This article covers such factors as the history of RABs, their mission and locations and the good and not-so-good results of their use. Recommendations are presented for possible improvements.