NOT FOUND: McClellan RAB.jpgYes, the environmental cleanup work at the former McClellan Air Force base is a precise, technically engineered program based on the best available science. Being on the McClellan Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) doesn’t mean you have to be a scientist. Ask Paul Plummer, an Antelope businessman who has served on the RAB for nearly six years.
“When it comes to science, I didn’t like it in school. I just wanted to know the outcomes; I didn’t want to learn all the formulas,” Plummer said.
With that background, Plummer was pleasantly surprised when he joined the RAB. “I didn’t expect it to be so simple. I can understand it,” Plummer said of the discussions in the RAB meetings.
That’s because the RAB isn’t there to make the technical cleanup decisions. As described by Plummer, the RAB’s role is to advise the Air Force and regulatory agencies about the community’s reactions to the cleanup and land transfer decisions. The RAB member’s job is to ask a lot of questions from a layman’s perspective so that when he or she leaves the meeting, he can explain to others what is going on with the environmental cleanup and land transfer program at McClellan.
A Jamaica native, Plummer has lived in the Sacramento area for 23 years, including the past 13 years in Antelope. He decided to join the RAB while he was president of the Antelope Alliance Chamber of Commerce from 2000 to 2005. During that time he became concerned with what he saw as an over-emphasis on environmental protection at the expense of redevelopment and job creation.
“By being on the RAB, I can see that everything is above board. I can see what they (the Air Force) are doing and why they are doing it,” he explained. “I wanted to be on the inside and see first hand what they are doing.”
Early on, Plummer thought too much was being done in terms of environmental cleanup, but now he feels there is a “perfect balance” between the environmental cleanup and redevelopment. Some of that perception of balance comes from the increased understanding that comes from being on the RAB.
“I remember with CS-10 (the large tent on base in which contaminated soil is stored until a cleanup remedy is finalized), I thought ‘Why is that so big?’ I was concerned about the cost, but being on the RAB I was able to ask the Air Force people and they could explain the requirements behind it and it made sense,” Plummer explained.
A critical part of being on the RAB for Plummer is sharing that insight and understanding with the larger community. “The RAB is critical (for the community). It is the only way to get first-hand information to what’s going on. Otherwise everything would just be left to a news release and we’d only get part of the story,” he said.
“We’re there to listen, express our views, ask questions and get satisfactory answers to report back to our community,” stated Plummer.
The McClellan RAB is currently seeking new members. Membership on the RAB is open to anyone who has an interest in the environmental cleanup program at the former McClellan Air Force Base. Technical expertise is not necessary.
All RAB meetings are open to the public and the public is encouraged to attend. For more information on the McClellan RAB or the environmental cleanup program at McClellan, contact Mary Hall at McClellan community relations at 916-643-1250, ext 232 or email at mary.hall@ch2m.com.