Wednesday, November 15, 2006
239-13

The Impact of Business Practices on the Environment: Best Practices for Communicating Remediation Efforts to Non-Scientists.

Ann D. Jabro, Robert Morris Univ, 881 Narrows Run Rd, Moon Township, PA 59270 and Jalal Jabro, USDA-ARS, 1500 N. Central Ave, Sidney, MT 59270, United States of America.

This research focuses on how a specialty chemical manufacturing company managed the aftermath of a competitive marketplace and the impact of offshore chemical production, which forced the facility to cease manufacturing operations in 2003. The facility operated in central Pennsylvania and had earned a National Priority List designation for the production of kepone and mirex in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  Although the ingredients were no longer produced at the site, the remediation effort has been on-going since that time. In an effort to manage public concerns, the company maintained its community advisory council (CAC) for almost one year after the plant shut down and was dismantled.  The community advisory council under the guidance of its facilitator designed a survey that was administered electronically to key stakeholder groups in the community with the sole purpose of ascertaining their concerns about the closure of the company and the status of the remediation effort.  The results of the survey were shared with the Department of Environmental Protection which used the information to design a newsletter for distribution to the community.  This effort generated a “best practices” for generating information about remediation efforts to non-scientists.