The goal of community outreach is to advocate for strong and meaningful community participation in the Department of the Navy (DON)’s Environmental Restoration Program (ERP). The overarching objective of the DON’s ERP is to protect human health and the environment from past hazardous waste practices and releases at DON and United States Marine Corps Installation Restoration Program (IRP) and Munitions Response Program (MRP) sites. The DON is committed to involving the public during the site investigation and cleanup process at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma via both formal and informal means of communications. Health and safety at MCAS Yuma, and in our surrounding communities, is a top DON 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 (CERCLA). 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 DON encourages meaningful and productive participation by everyone in the community.
Community Involvement Plan
The DON, with support from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), is responsible for oversight of the DON’s ERP. The DON has been operating under the Community Relations Plan (CRP) developed in 1994 but is currently preparing an update in the new Community Involvement Plan (CIP) format to better understand the interests and communication methods of the current community. The CIP provides an opportunity for community outreach activities at MCAS Yuma, addressing both community concerns and expectations. Community involvement described in the CIP strives to meet the community’s needs for information, seeks community input concerning environmental cleanup decisions, and provides mechanisms for feedback to the public on how the DON is incorporating the community’s concerns into the ERP at MCAS Yuma. The 1994 CRP is available through the Administrative Records tab on this website, and the updated CIP is scheduled for distribution in late 2022.
Community outreach activities include sharing program updates on MCAS Yuma’s Environmental website, providing information to the public via distribution lists, providing the public opportunities to engage the DON and MCAS Yuma personnel via community meetings and public comment periods, and providing additional information through fact sheets, newsletters, and other methods, as needed. Some documents produced during DON site investigation and cleanup activities require formal review period during which the public can provide comments and input, while other documents are not subject to the same public review and comment requirements. The DON provides opportunities for public review of these documents in community forums and upon request.
Information Repository and Administrative Record
Information repositories have been established to provide public access to technical reports and other information about the investigation and cleanup of sites at MCAS Yuma. A collection of environmental restoration documents is available through the Administrative Records tab on this website.
CLICK HERE to access the online Administrative Record files for MCAS Yuma.
Correspondence, reports, minutes, fact sheets, public notices, and other records are available for public review at the following location:
Main Library
Yuma County Library District
2951 South 21st Drive
Yuma, AZ 85364
(928) 782-1871
Public Affairs Office
The Marine Corps Public Affairs Office (PAO) has combined with Combat Camera to form the Communication Strategy and Operations (COMMSTRAT) office. The mission of the MCAS Yuma COMMSTRAT Officer is to enhance the public image of MCAS Yuma, manage the Command's community relations program, and serve as the point of contact for all media and public inquiries. The COMMSTRAT Officer provides information and press releases to newspapers, TV, radio stations, and civic organizations, and schedules and conducts interviews and news conferences. The COMMSTRAT contact information for MCAS Yuma and PAO contact for Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest is below:
COMMSTRAT Officer
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma
Phone: (928) 269-5728, (928) 269-3609
Public Affairs Office
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest
750 Pacific Highway, San Diego, Calif.
92132-5190
Phone: (619) 909-8746
Community Meetings and Public Comment Periods
In accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Defense requirements, community meetings will be held as appropriate during the remediation process. Notices of any upcoming public meetings will be published approximately two weeks prior to the meeting in the Yuma Daily Sun and the Desert Warrior. In addition, notices will be posted at the Information Repository at the Main Library, Yuma County Library District.
To ensure effective two-way communication with local community members, public comment periods are a federal requirement of the remedial action process and are established at critical times in the cleanup process. All public comments received by the DON and Marine Corps will be considered and, as appropriate, incorporated into final documents. The DON and Marine Corps will provide formal written responses to these comments.