For Release: July 9, 1996

Dom Amatore
Office of Media Services
(205) 544-0034
Dom.Amatore@msfc.nasa.gov

RELEASE: 96-54

MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER TO HOST ENVIRONMENTAL TOUR FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS ON JULY 13

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center will host the first in a series of presentations and site tours on Saturday, July 13, for community members interested in NASA’s environmental cleanup activities. The event is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. in the lobby of Bldg. 4200 on Rideout Road, and will last about two hours.

"Communicating with our neighbors about environmental issues at the Marshall Center is an important part of our environmental management program," said Dr. Rebecca McCaleb, director of the Environmental Engineering and Management Office at Marshall Center. "Many community members may be unaware of our efforts to protect public health and the environment. This kind of community outreach activity provides a forum for community members to learn about NASA operations and to give us some feedback."

Long-term cleanup programs are underway to identify and correct potential contamination problems affecting the Redstone Arsenal, including Marshall Center. These activities are being conducted under provisions of the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response

Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as Superfund. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manages Superfund, in cooperation with state environmental agencies. The Redstone Arsenal, including NASA’s Marshall Center, was placed on the Superfund cleanup list on May 31, 1994. NASA, EPA and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) are working together to conduct the cleanup.

"We are working diligently to clean up contamination that has resulted from past activities at Marshall, and to ensure that current and future activities here do not contaminate our environment," said McCaleb.

The July 13 event will feature a presentation by environmental managers on the Superfund cleanup effort underway at Marshall Center. After the presentation, participants will board a bus to tour some of the potential cleanup sites.