Can We Help?
Service under this program is no longer available due to the completion of the EPA contract supporting this activity. GTRI outreach specialists, however, can assist communities on a contract basis.
Mission Statement
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower communities with an independent understanding
of the underlying technical issues related to hazardous substance contamination
so that they may participate substantively in the decision-making process.
Principles
The primary function of the Technical Outreach Services for Communities
(TOSC) program is to bring university educational and technical resources
to communities affected by hazardous substance contamination. This is based
on the premise that an understanding of the underlying technical issues
is a basic requirement for meaningful citizen participation in the decision-making
process to address such problems. Universities are best suited for carrying
out this mission because of their combination of independence, technical
expertise, research capabilities, and experience in providing similar extension
services to communities.
While education is the primary focus of the program, it may also be
appropriate for TOSC personnel to facilitate communication among stakeholders
and to offer scientific opinions on specific issues, when these activities
serve to enhance education. TOSC personnel are not stakeholders, or the
agents of stakeholders, and are therefore expected to remain neutral in
their interactions with the community. Every effort will be made to distinguish
between issues of science and issues of policy.
Flexibility is essential to ensure that each TOSC project addresses
the unique set of concerns present in a particular community. Nonetheless,
a common approach to the process has been developed and will be followed
for each project to ensure quality and efficient use of resources. This
includes institutional mechanisms for evaluation and feedback on each project
by all project stakeholders as part of a system for continual improvement
of the TOSC program.
Scope
Specific activities will be tailored to the needs of the community under
an agreement developed between TOSC personnel and community representatives.
Attention will normally be given to providing a base of fundamental scientific
information, interpreting and summarizing reports, clarifying the regulatory
process in general and as it relates to the site, addressing specific site
contamination issues including extent of contamination, contaminant dynamics,
exposure and health considerations, ecological considerations, and potential
remediation technologies. Every effort will be made to select appropriate
educational techniques including distribution of written material, public
meetings, workshops, electronic tools, and local media. In carrying out
this activity, TOSC will remain outside the decision-making process and
avoid taking an advocacy position or making substantive recommendations.
Further, it is not the role of TOSC to serve as an organizational point
or process focus for community involvement.
Each of the five regional TOSC programs in the U.S. has developed a
site selection process by which sites
are nominated and reviewed for suitability, and a decision of whether to
work with the community is reached. Referrals from EPA regional offices
and state regulatory agencies are primary factors in this process. For
the communities selected, a needs assessment is performed to determine
the educational needs, the most suitable delivery mechanisms, and the key
stakeholders. This routinely results in an assistance agreement in which
resources are committed by both the TOSC program and the community. The
delivery process is complemented by development and implementation of a
communication strategy to ensure the effort is widely accessible.
What We Can Do
We provide a variety of services to interested citizens in our 13-state
region:
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Toll-free TOSC information line for the South & Southwest Region at 1-888-683-5963
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Workshops and technical and educational programs in your community
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Site assistance, including review of technical documents, assistance in
preparing written comments, and participation in public hearings
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Public education on hazardous substance issues
Our hazardous substance information line is the place to start. We'll do
our best to find answers for you. Do you need help in preparing a steering
committee? Would you like information about our other outreach services?
Do you just have a question about hazardous substances? Use the information
line.
Would a workshop be more helpful? Our professionals will travel
to your community for a single day or evening meeting, workshop, or session.
We'll tailor the presentation to issues specific to your site. We'll even
filter out the technical and regulatory jargon.
Do you need help preparing comments on a proposed action? Our
researchers can provide the most recent insights on science and technology.
We'll help you review the important documents. We'll also help you prepare
written comments to present to regulators.
Would a public education initiative better meet your needs? We
provide a variety of other services. If the activities mentioned aren't
what you want, contact us to discuss how we can help.
TOSC/Community Letter of Agreement
TOSC projects that provide technical and educational outreach to communities with
hazardous substance problems should be developed in partnership with the
community and should be reflected in a TOSC/community Letter of Agreement (MOA). Such an agreement should
state the intent of the project and the commitments to be made by both TOSC and
the community. A TOSC/ community agreement must provide a clear understanding of
the plan of action and the limitations of TOSC involvement, and must reflect
trust between the participants. It should be based on three major components:
principles of a community/TOSC partnership, community evaluation, and agreement
format.
Select the following links to download copies of a generic Letter of Agreement:
PDF format
Principles of a Community/TOSC Partnership
A partnership between a community and TOSC is "two-way." TOSC will contribute
valuable, independent, and necessary information and expertise to assist
the community in addressing hazardous waste problems. The community will
contribute knowledge, expertise, and time.
A TOSC/community partnership reflects a commitment to fostering
and sustaining a relationship for the time period required for meeting
the needs of the community.
A TOSC/community partnership is an opportunity for TOSC to learn ways
to continuously improve its technical assistance outreach.
TOSC/community partnerships are characterized by the principles of trust,
neutrality, and flexibility.
Community Evaluation of TOSC Projects
Members of a community can have diverse and conflicting interests and agendas
that can result in widely varied evaluations of the project. The evaluation
discussed below should come from the community group that is a party to
the TOSC/community agreement. The group should strive to reflect valid
concerns and problems of the community at large.
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TOSC and the community group should establish a process for evaluation
of the project in the initial agreement.
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Evaluation should be an ongoing task, not an end-of-project task.
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Evaluation should occur periodically (ideally at least twice a year and
at important project milestones). Simple written evaluation reports should
be made at these points.
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Communities should know whom to contact if they are not satisfied with
a TOSC project and should be provided with written procedures to follow
in such an event. For serioius problems, the EPA Grant Officer should be
included as one of the resources to the community group, recognizing that
no issues are expected to reach this level of concern.
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TOSC should provide the community group with unbiased support and assistance
during project evaluations.
The method of evaluation can and should vary, both during the course of
a project and among projects and communities. In some instances, evaluation
might take the form of a community meeting, while in others a simple telephone
conversation between a community group leader and the TOSC project manager
might be sufficient.
Memorandum of Agreement Format
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statement of the principles of partnership
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description of the community situation and needs
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identification of TOSC staff and community contacts
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description of TOSC's role as a non-advocate and non-consultant (no provision
of technical recommendations or analytical services)
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mutual termination agreement
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description of evaluation process (purpose and procedures)
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definition of time frame to provide TOSC services
Selection Criteria
Threshold Criteria: A community must have one of the following site problems
in order to be eligible for TOSC selection:
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hazardous contamination
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toxic contamination
Balancing Criteria: Pending verification of the threshold criteria,
the following criteria can make a specific community more or less likely
to be selected for assistance.
More Likely To Be Selected:
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environmental justice issues
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human health protection issues
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high community interest
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good community organization
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multiple sources of request
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community can benefit from educational efforts
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potential exists for TOSC to provide assistance early enough in the process
to be meaningful
Less Likely To Be Selected:
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TAG/TAPP/other source of technical support available or in hand
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low community interest/poor organization
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single, unfocused request for support
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extreme polarization/lawsuit
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assistance would be provided too late in the process to be meaningful
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TOSC is unable to address specific community needs because of technical impracticality or
lack of expertise
Who We Are
The South & Southwest Hazardous Substance Research Center (HSRC)
consortium includes researchers and professionals at the following member
institutions:
Contact our main office for local assistance from
one of our members.
Participation
If there is a hazardous waste site in your community, you're eligible to
participate in this program. We'd like to help your community work together
on hazardous waste problems.
Assistance is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
States Served by South & Southwest Program
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Alabama
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Arkansas
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Florida
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Georgia
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Kentucky
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Louisiana
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Mississippi
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New Mexico
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North Carolina
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Oklahoma
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South Carolina
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Tennessee
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Texas
How To Contact Us
Please contact the TOSC Program
for information on technical support for communities by telephoning 1-888-683-5963 or by contacting:
Ms. Ann Carpenter
TOSC Coordinator, South & Southwest HSRC
EPA Region 4 contact
GTRI/ITTL
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0837 USA
Telephone: 404/407-8044
E-mail: ann.carpenter@gtri.gatech.edu
Ms. Tomeka Prioleau
EPA Region 6 contact
3418 CEBA Building
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-6421 USA
Telephone: 225/578-6698
FAX: 225/578-5043
E-mail: tkp@hsrc.lsu.edu
Please have the following information available when you call:
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Your name, address, and phone number
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Name and location of the site for which you are requesting assistance
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Names and phone numbers of any EPA or state officials involved (if available)
We encourage you to work with others in your community to coordinate your
requests. If you have questions or difficulties in establishing a work
group, please call for assistance.
Copyright © Georgia Tech Research Corporation, 2007.
All Rights Reserved.
Make comments to: HSRC/SSW
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Home page: http://www.hsrc-ssw.org/
