Public Involvement Plan

The Nomans Land Island hazardous waste site (RTN 4-0013390) has been designated a Public Involvement Plan (PIP) site under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP).  Local community members petitioned the Navy to establish a Public Involvement Plan for the site in March 1999. The Navy has developed a plan for communicating and involving the local community in the cleanup activities at the island.   In addition to the PIP designation a Technical Assistance Grant has been issued by DEP for activities related to the site.

Technical Assistance Grant

Through a competitive process the Department of Environmental Protection Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program has annually awarded grants of up to $10,000 to assist citizen groups and municipalities in understanding and using technical and scientific information developed during the assessment and cleanup of sites contaminated by oil and/or hazardous materials. Of the twenty-seven applications received in grant round 6, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head was one of just fourteen groups selected for funding.  

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head has joined with other municipal and community interests to form a Nomans Land Island cleanup coalition.  Their project addressed the technical remediation issues of the cleanup as well as the public's involvement in the cleanup process.  The group hired a technical consultant to review cleanup documents and to provide comments on behalf of the group.  Public meetings were also held to provide an opportunity for the general public to receive information about the Nomans Land Island cleanup and to answer site-related questions.  In many ways the TAG project reinforced the public involvement plan (PIP) activities at the site.  The $10,000 TAG project commenced in July 2001.