The goal of community outreach is to advocate for and strengthen early and meaningful community participation in the Department of the Navy’s (Navy) Environmental Restoration Program (ERP). The overarching objective of the Navy’s ERP is to protect human health and the environment from past hazardous waste practices and releases at Navy’s and Marine Corp’s Installation Restoration Program (IRP) sites. The Navy and Marine Corps are committed to involving the public during the site investigation and cleanup process at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Twentynine Palms by both formal and informal means of communications. Health and safety on base and in our communities is a top Navy priority.
Federal and state laws and regulations require community involvement during site investigation and cleanup activities conducted under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. This ensures that the public is informed and involved early, that public concerns are heard, and that their comments are considered in making final decisions on managing cleanup activities. The Navy and Marine Corps encourage meaningful and productive participation by everyone in the community.
The Navy and Marine Corps initially developed a community involvement action plan in 1994 that has been revised over the years to better meet the needs of the community. The most recent update was in in 2023, and the revised plan can be found in the administrative record at the link provided below.
The community involvement plan provides a guide for the Navy to engage the community, share information, and receive and respond to public input. The Community Involvement Plan describes the primary methods the Navy will use to provide information and involve the public in MCAGCC’s environmental cleanup program. In addition, other activities and resources that may be used to support public involvement are described. The outreach activities and resources described in this Community Involvement Plan comply with community involvement guidelines set forth in federal law with a focus on community interests as identified in the May 2022 MCAGCC Community Survey results.
The Navy has developed an outreach program that provides opportunities for community involvement in different formats. The goal of the outreach program is to reach stakeholders, share program information, and receive community input. Based on community feedback, sharing written information on the MCAGCC Environmental Affairs website is the community’s preferred resource to provide links to documents, announce review periods, and share other program information. In addition, the basewide email distribution list has proven to be an effective means for sharing information with stakeholders.
Information repositories have been established to provide public access to technical reports and other information about the investigation and cleanup of sites at MCAGCC Twentynine Palms. A collection of reports compiled by the Navy and Marine Corps to document military installation ERP environmental response actions is available in the MCAGCC Twentynine Palms Administrative Record files. Documents are continuously being added to installation administrative records, which provide access to site-specific information so that the public may make informed comments to the Marine Corps on the selection of response actions.
Correspondence, reports, minutes, fact sheets, public notices, and other records are available for public review at the following locations:
Local Information Repositories
Twentynine Palms Branch Library
6078 Adobe Road
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
(760) 367-9519
MCAGCC Combat Center Library
Building 1524 on 6th Street
Twentynine Palms, CA 92278
(760) 830-6875
Administrative Record
Command Records Manager
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest
2965 Mole Road, Building 3519
San Diego, CA 92136
(619) 556-1280
CLICK HERE for site-specific documents for each IRP site in the MCAGCC Twentynine Palms Administrative Record.
Public Meetings
In accordance with US EPA and Department of Defense requirements, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest ERP holds public meetings at critical times in the remediation process. Public meetings provide current information about significant project events, investigations, remedial actions, or removal action decisions, and to respond to specific community concerns, issues, or events. Formal public hearings are also held in conjunction with public comment periods for major technical milestones, such as the proposed remedial action plans required for removal and remedial actions. Notices of any upcoming public meetings are published about two weeks before the meeting. Resources may include online or print newspapers, the MCAGCC Environmental Affairs website, or other distribution methods.
To receive information on the Navy’s environmental cleanup at MCAGCC Twentynine Palms, please contact:
Jeremiah Santini
Remedial Project Manager
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Southwest
(619) 705-5481
Government and External Affairs Office
The mission of the MCAGCC Twentynine Palms Government and External Affairs (GEA) Office is to prevent, mitigate, and repair mission constraints caused by encroachment and enhance Installation support of the Marine Corps’ warfighting mission by integrating communications, outreach, and engagement to advance mission sustainment, legislative engagement, mission compatibility, and liaison with installation communities, elected officials, and mission partners.
The GEA office provides information and press releases to newspapers, TV, radio stations, and civic organizations, and schedules and conducts interviews and news conferences. CLICK HERE to visit the MCAGCC’s GEA Office website and for more information.
MCAGCC Twentynine Palms GEA Office Director can be reached by phone at (760) 830-5437.