The Mayor's Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) believes that Citizen Participation is a critical component of the proposed New York City Local Brownfield Cleanup Program (LBCP). Enrollees into the program will be required to maintain a local repository, or library, for project documents and to provide public notice at specified milestones during the cleanup program. Under this plan, all project documents and plans are made available to the public in a timely manner. Public comment is strongly encouraged during public comment periods and documents are not approved until all comment periods have expired and all comments are formally reviewed.

Document Repositories
A document repository is a library of project documents that is maintained at a publicly accessible location near the project site. The preferred locations include the nearest public library that maintains evening and weekend hours, and the community board for the district in which the site is located. Additional repositories may be required by OER depending on public interest or other unique project conditions. Document repositories are intended to house, for community review, all principal documents generated during the remedial program including remedial investigation plans and reports, remedial action plans and reports, site management plans and all public notices sent during the project.

Digital Documentation
OER strongly encourages the use of electronic documents in repositories as a means of resource conservation while also increasing convenience in access and ease of use. OER will also maintain a virtual repository of project documents on its web site to enhance public access and convenience.

Public Notice and Public Comment
OER will approve a Project Contact List for each LBCP project to enable public communication of important project information and to request public comment at specified steps during the remedial program. The Project Contact List will include owners and occupants of on-site and adjacent buildings and homes, principals of nearby schools, hospitals and day care centers, the local Community Board, and elected representatives. Any member of the public will be added to the Project Contact list on request.

Public notice to all members of the Project Contact List will be required at four major milestones achieved during the performance of the remedial program (listed below). Other notices may be required by OER on specific projects. Notices will include descriptive project summaries, updates on recent and upcoming project activities, repository information, and OER phone and email contact details. OER will use email and website listings to enhance public outreach.

Public comment is required to be solicited in public notices for all work plans developed under the NYC LBCP. Final review of all work plans by OER will consider all public comments and approval will not be granted until the public comment period has been completed.
 
Citizen Participation Milestones
Public notice and public comment activities will occur at several milestones during a typical LBCP project. These included:

• Public notice of the availability of the Program Application, Remedial Investigation Report and Remedial Action Work Plan and a 30 day public comment period
  Public notice is sent to all parties listed on the Project Contact List announcing the availability of the documents and the initiation of a 30 day public comment period. The public comment period will automatically be extended to 45 days upon public request. A public meeting or informational session will conducted by OER, upon public request.
• Public notice announcing the start of remediation
  Public notice in the form of a fact sheet is sent to all parties listed on the Project Contact List announcing the start of remediation.
• Public notice announcing the completion of remediation, availability of the Remedial Action Report, and designation of institutional and engineering controls
  Public notice in the form of a fact sheet is sent to all parties listed on the Project Contact List announcing the completion of remediation, the availability of the Remedial Action Report and providing a list of all institutional or engineering controls.
• Public notice announcing the issuance of the Certificate of Completion for the project

If you would like to be added to the Project Contact List, contact us.