Wednesday, November 7, 2007
247-10

Bringing all sides to the table: Managing conflict during an EPA Remediation Effort.

Ann Jabro, Robert Morris University, 468 Student Center, 6001 University Boulevard, Moon Township, PA 15108 and Jay Jabro, NPARL ARS-USDA, 1500 N. Central Ave, Sidney, MT 59270.

Nestled in a rural area accentuated by an abundance of wildlife, vegetation and pristine waterways is situated an organic chemicals manufacturing plant. While the area featured plentiful year-round recreational activities, a Catch and Release order from the Fish and Boat Commission has altered the community's perception of the area as well at the National Priority List designation for the manufacturing of kepone and mirex in the late 1960s and early 70's.

For many years, the plant operated at the outskirts of town. More recently, urban sprawl and retail development have extended the neighborhood's boundaries clear up to the fence surrounding the plant. Plant management is deeply concerned about the neighbors' reaction to their operation while the neighbors are appalled that the remediation effort is still underway, that's after 20 years! This paper identifies the areas of conflict expressed by neighbors, plant management and the general community as remediation efforts progressed, stalled, and progressed. Further, conflict diffusion approaches are presented and analyzed for their effectiveness.