St. Regis Paper Company Superfund Site Leech Lake Reservation Cass Lake, Minnesota 2016 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PLAN COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT St. Regis Paper Company Superfund Site CONTENTS Section Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Community Engagement is Essential to the Success of Superfund Cleanups .............................1 1.2 Purpose of this CIP ..............................................................................................................................................2 1.3 CIP Overview ........................................................................................................................................................2 2.0 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND THE SUPERFUND PROCESS .................................................................3 3.0 ST. REGIS PAPER CO. SUPERFUND SITE BACKGROUND .................................................................................7 3.1 Site Location .........................................................................................................................................................7 3.2 Site History ............................................................................................................................................................8 3.3 Known Contaminants ..................................................................................................................................... 11 4.0 COMMUNITY BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................. 13 4.1 Cass Lake Community Profile ...................................................................................................................... 13 4.2 Leech Lake Reservation Profile ................................................................................................................... 15 4.3 Community Demographics .......................................................................................................................... 15 4.4 Past Community Involvement Efforts ....................................................................................................... 16 5.0 DETAILED SUMMARY OF COMMUNITY INTERVIEWS ................................................................................. 17 6.0 COMMUNITY CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS .................................................................................................. 21 6.1 Potential Health Effects .................................................................................................................................. 21 6.2 Potential Impact on Property Values ........................................................................................................ 21 6.3 Communication with Local Residents and Officials ............................................................................ 21 6.4 Summary of Comments, Concerns and Questions Raised at the August 2016 Meeting ....... 22 7.0 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT GOALS AND ACTIVITIES............................................................................... 27 7.1 Specific Community Involvement Activities .......................................................................................... 27 7.2 Timeframe for Conducting Community Involvement Activities ..................................................... 30 Figures Exhibit 1: Superfund Process Steps ....................................................................................................................................4 Exhibit 2: Community involvement opportunities during the Superfund process .........................................5 Figure 1: Site Location Map ..................................................................................................................................................7 Tables Table 1: Site History .................................................................................................................................................................8 Table 2: Schedule of Community Involvement Activities ....................................................................................... 30 Appendices A GLOSSARY – INITIALS - ACRONYMS B INFORMATION REPOSITORIES WITH ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, WEBSITE AND PUBLIC MEETING LOCATIONS C LIST OF CONTACTS Community Involvement Plan iii St. Regis Paper Company Superfund Site iv Community Involvement Plan St. Regis Paper Company Superfund Site 1.0 INTRODUCTION The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues and comments are received from prepared this Community Involvement Plan the community. It is intended to be flexible, for the St. Regis Paper Co. Superfund site in adaptable and used as a guideline for EPA’s Cass Lake, Minnesota, on the Leech Lake Indian communication with the St. Regis community. Reservation adjacent to the Chippewa National Forest. EPA’s community involvement effort 1.1 Community Engagement is is committed to promoting communication between community members and the Agency. Essential to the Success of EPA wants to make sure the community’s Superfund Cleanups current concerns and information needs are Ongoing comment and involvement by the considered as site activities progress. (Words in community is essential to EPA’s efforts to boldface are defined in the Glossary – Initials – provide effective community engagement. Acronyms Appendix A.) EPA has learned that its decision-making ability is enhanced by actively seeking comments and This CIP was updated to support environmental information from the community. Community and cleanup activities at the St. Regis site. EPA members need to be involved in all phases used several information sources to update this of the cleanup so that the contamination is plan, including research, community interviews addressed in a way that protects people and the and public meetings. The interviews were environment – now and in the future. conducted with residents, business owners and local officials in July 2012 and the information Residents, former employees and local gathered from July 2012 and August 2016 public government officials may be able to provide meetings gave EPA an insight into the concerns valuable information about a hazardous site that and information needs of the community. This can help EPA determine the best way to clean it CIP describes EPA’s plan for addressing concerns up. Information can help determine the location and keeping residents informed and involved of contamination, how people may be exposed in the site cleanup activities. It also provides to the contamination and perhaps sources of information on the Superfund process, site the contamination. background information and a profile of Cass Lake. The CIP is a working document that will evolve as the investigation and cleanup process Goals of EPA’s community involvement efforts: • Assist the public in understanding the decision-making process during project design and cleanup and the community’s role in that process. • Give the public accessible, accurate, timely and understandable information about the project as it moves forward. • Ensure adequate time and opportunity for the public to provide informed and meaningful comment and for that comment to be considered. • Reflect community concerns, questions and information needs. • Respect and fully consider public comment throughout the process as the project moves forward. Community Involvement Plan 1 St. Regis Paper Company Superfund Site 1.2 Purpose of this CIP • Section 4 – Cass Lake Community Background: Profiles the economic and The EPA will use this document as a guide ethnic makeup of the community and to involve and communicate with residents, summarizes the community’s history and businesses and local government in the Cass past involvement at the site. Lake area. In a separate process, EPA works in partnership with the Leech Lake Band of • Section 5 – Detailed Summary of Ojibwe tribal government and with the state Community Interviews: Provides a of Minnesota to provide those governments a summary of what interviewees told EPA meaningful role in decisions for the St. Regis site. about the St. Regis site and how they would Those relationships are not the subject of this like to receive information from EPA about CIP. the site. If you are interested in submitting comments or • Section 6 – Community Concerns and have questions or suggestions concerning the Questions: Presents the concerns and other CIP, please contact: information gathered during the community interviews and public meetings. Heriberto León Community Involvement Coordinator • Section 7 – Community Involvement EPA Region 5 (SI-7J) Goals: Describes EPA’s plan and timeline for 77 W. Jackson Blvd. conducting site-specific activities to keep Chicago, IL 60604-3507 residents and local officials informed and Phone: 312-886-6163 or toll free at 800-621- involved during the cleanup process. 8431, ext. 66163 [email protected] • Appendix A – Glossary – Initials - Acronyms: Provides the definition of For more information on the St. Regis Paper key words in bold found throughout the Co. Superfund site, visit: http://www.epa.gov/ document. superfund/st-regis-paper or request information 1.0 INTRODUCTION by contacting EPA’s CIC, Heriberto León. • Appendix B – Information Repository, Administrative Record and Public Meeting 1.3 CIP Overview Locations: Identifies places