Community Involvement Program
The Navy, Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL), West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), and United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) are committed to maintaining open dialogue with the surrounding community as we work together through the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP) activities at ABL. As part of the ERP at ABL, the Navy has implemented a community involvement program to address issues of concern regarding the environmental investigation and restoration activities at ABL. The Navy's intent is to present factual and timely information, obtain community feedback, and promote understanding of the ongoing environmental activities.
The Navy completed an update to the Community Involvement Plan (CIP) for the ERP at ABL in April 2025 to continue the communication link between the Navy and stakeholders, including residents and state and local officials. The updated CIP is available in the Administrative Record File and at the following link: CIP. A goal of the CIP is to keep the general public informed of ongoing actions, aware of major findings, and involved in site restoration decisions. The CIP guides the community involvement efforts at ABL, providing opportunities for the public to share their input at various stages of the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) process.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES
The CIP identifies activities to meet the community involvement objectives for ABL. Several of those key activities are described as follows.
Designate a Navy Contact
The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic Public Affairs Officer (PAO) located out of Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia is the primary point of contact for the Environmental Restoration Program and works closely with the NAVFAC Remedial Program Manager, also based out of Norfolk, Virginia. The NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic PAO is responsible for responding to inquiries about site activities. The NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic PAO will make an effort to provide timely responses; however, the response time may be impacted depending on the number of entities that may need to be involved in developing the response.
Inquires should be submitted to the NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic PAO at the following email address:
NAVFAC_ML_PAO_ALL@us.navy.mil.
Evaluate Community Interest in a Restoration Advisory Board
The Department of Defense (DOD) established Restoration Advisory Boards (RABs) across the country to engage community members in helping to address environmental restoration at current and former military installations within their respective community and share their knowledge of the restoration being performed by the DOD with the broader local community. The ABL RAB met regularly from 1995 to 2006; however, interest and community participation waned over time. Several attempts to assess interest in the RAB between 2008 and 2019 did not reveal community interest, and in 2022, the Navy issued a public notice that the RAB would be adjourned. No comments were received on the notice of adjournment. Based on the feedback received from the public during preparation of the CIP update completed in 2025, which indicated there is not sustained public interest in reinstating a RAB, the Navy plans to complete the RAB adjournment process and will issue a technical memorandum to formally document adjournment of the RAB. The Navy will continue to reassess community interest in re-establishing the RAB during future CIP updates.
Publish Public Notices, Provide Public Comment Periods, and Hold Public Meetings
Public notices are issued to notify stakeholders about events and activities related to the Environmental Restoration Program. At certain points in the CERCLA process, including the beginning of public comment periods and completion of Five-Year Reviews, public notices are required to be published in a local newspaper. Public notices are published in the legal section of the Cumberland Times-News.
Public comment periods lasting 45 days will be provided on select documents to give community members an opportunity to provide input on major decisions in the CERCLA process, such as the selection of removal actions or remedial action. Those documents are made available for review in the information repository (see below) and on this website. When a public meeting is held during a public comment period, comments made during the meeting are captured in minutes. Community members may also submit written comments at any time during the public comment period. The public comment period can be extended for an additional 30 days if requested by the public. As required, a written response will be prepared for significant comments received and included in the Record of Decision.
Maintain an Administrative Record and Information Repository
A collection of the documents that form the basis for the selection of a particular response at a site is provided in the Administrative Record File for ABL. The Administrative Record File can be accessed on the Administrative Record page of this website.
An Information Repository is a physical location where a reference collection of general and ABL ERP site information, including documents for public review, the CIP, CERCLA information, fact sheets, and instructions about how to access the Administrative Record file online. The Information Repository is established in the community to provide the public with easily accessible information. The information repositories for ABL can be found at the following locations during normal business hours:
Fort Ashby Public Library
74 Lincoln Street
Fort Ashby, WV 26719
(304) 298-4493
Washington Street Public Library
31 Washington Street
Cumberland, MD 21502
(301) 777-1200