Pax River Restoration Advisory Board to Meet Oct. 17

This is a map of the active environmental restoration and remedy-in-place sites at NAS Patuxent River. (www.navfac.navy.mil)

The NAS Patuxent River Restoration Advisory Board‘s next public meeting has tentatively been scheduled for October 17, 2023.

RAB is a link between the community and government decision-makers. The US Navy and the appropriate regulatory agencies are responsible for making decisions about the environmental restoration program. Part of the decision-making process is to consider comments from the public and respond to them.

The goal of a RAB is to encourage regular communication during the environmental restoration process by:

• Making information about the investigation and cleanup actions available to members of the public
• Gaining effective input from stakeholders on cleanup activities
• Increasing the installation’s responsiveness to the community’s environmental restoration concern

RAB is part of the partnership working for effective and efficient cleanup of NAS Patuxent River. The Pax RAB was formed in January 1995. It is co-chaired by an elected community member and a Navy representative.

RAB members are considered a key source in efforts to communicate openly and effectively with the community at large. They are provided with information about the ER Program and their input on remediation decisions is actively sought. The RAB contains representatives from the Navy, Environmental Protection Agency, Maryland Department of the Environment, local government officials, and community members.

In September 2020, the Navy completed an update of the Community Involvement Plan for NAS Pax River. The CIP documents the ER program’s commitment to maintaining open communications with stakeholders, including residents of the base and surrounding communities. The CIP guides the community involvement efforts with a goal to keep the public informed regarding ongoing investigations and to aid community involvement in site restoration decisions at the base.

For more information, contact Patrick Gordon of the NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or 301-757-3343.