3. Task Force Composition, Process, and Information Gathering

The Task Force was made up of 17 individuals who represent diverse interests including business, environment, agriculture, local government, and schools. The Agencies identified Task Force members based on areas of expertise, ability to represent potentially affected stakeholder groups, and a desire to ensure geographic representation across the state. Task Force members served the project as volunteers-they were not compensated for their time or expertise. Most Task Force members served for the entire process. Two Task Force members left the process relatively early because of changes in their professional circumstances. They were replaced by other representatives in their area of expertise. The Task Force met 12 times from February 2002 to June 2003. All meetings were advertised and were open to the public, and opportunities for public comment were provided at each meeting.

The Task Force began by reviewing and accepting the Task Force charter, which includes the questions posed by the Agencies and the areas identified as outside the scope of the Task Force deliberations discussed in the previous section. It also accepted two co-chairs recommended by the Agencies-a representative of environmental interests from Western Washington and a representative of business interests from Eastern Washington. The Task Force co-chairs served as liaisons to the facilitation team and helped to guide and manage the Task Force process. A list of Task Force members and meeting locations and dates, as well as a copy of the Task Force charter and ground rules are included in Appendix B.

There was a wide range of views on the Task Force, and at their first meetings Task Force members worked to develop a common language and information base from which to discuss area-wide soil contamination and to understand one another's concerns and interests. At their fourth meeting, the Task Force developed a Project Map (see Figure 1 below) to organize their deliberations. The Project Map organizes Task Force deliberations into four issue areas: 1) identifying the nature and extent of area-wide soil contamination, 2) identifying actions to address area-wide soil contamination, 3) implementing actions to address area-wide soil contamination, and 4) funding sources and financing mechanisms. It lists questions that the Task Force considered under each issue area and shows the issue areas as interrelated and affected by three overarching factors: cost, health exposure data, and MTCA. Between full Task Force meetings, small groups of Task Force members met to evaluate specific issues identified on the Project Map and develop options and recommendations for the full Task Force to consider. These discussions formed the basis for the recommendations described in this report.

The Task Force completed preliminary findings and recommendations for the majority of the questions on the Project Map in April 2003. Preliminary Task Force findings and recommendations were widely publicized and made available for public review and comment in May 2003. In addition, five focus group meetings were organized. Task Force members attended the focus group meetings to hear first-hand the reactions to the preliminary findings and recommendations. The public review and comment process is summarized in Appendix C. The Task Force then met twice in June 2003 to evaluate public comments and refine their findings and recommendations, and issued their final report at the end of June 2003.

One Task Force member participated in the process but chose not to sign the final report because of concerns over recommendations dealing with funding future mapping projects and the potential economic impact of creating area-wide soil contamination zones.

Figure 1: Area-Wide Soil Contamination Project Map  (click figure to enlarge in new window)

The Agencies served as ex officio members of the Task Force, attending both Task Force and small group meetings. They provided background information and support for Task Force deliberations and offered agency perspectives during the Task Force's development of findings and recommendations, but did not participate in final decision-making with respect to the Task Force report. In addition, the Task Force was supported by a contractor project team hired by Ecology and, early in their process, by two workgroups made up of technical experts and advisors. The workgroups carried out research and analysis to support Task Force deliberations and reviewed technical documents prepared for the project. The contractor project team carried out research and analysis to support Task Force deliberations and facilitated the Task Force and small group meetings.

Task Force deliberations were supported by an information-gathering effort that had four primary components:

• Interviews with Task Force members and stakeholders to identify key issues and concerns.
• Survey of research to identify and learn from other approaches to area-wide soil contamination and similar challenges.
• Case studies of several relevant cleanup or land-use development projects to evaluate their legal, funding, and institutional arrangements for addressing soil contamination and responding to public concerns.
• Research on institutional systems in Washington relevant to recommendations the Task Force considered.

These information-gathering efforts are described in Appendices D-G of this report.

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