Public Comment Period Begins for National Guard Petition to Allow Use of Lead on a Small Arms Range at Camp Edwards

The National Guard Bureau and the Massachusetts National Guard have formally requested an interim approval from EPA to resume firing lead ammunition at the Massachusetts Military Reservation.

The petition, received by EPA on June 13, specifically requests that the Safe Drinking Water Act Administrative Order issued in April 1997 regarding small arms ranges be modified to allow the firing of lead ammunition at Tango Range located in Camp Edwards at the military reservation. The petition has been submitted along with supporting documents for EPA review.

A 14-day informal public comment period will be held on the petition and supporting documents from June 20, 2007 - July 3, 2007. EPA welcomes comments during the informal 14–day public comment which may be extended upon request of interested members of the public.

There will also be a public meeting to begin the comment period on Wed., June 20, between 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Best Western Hotel, 100 Trowbridge Road in Bourne. The meeting is sponsored by EPA, the Mass. Dept. of Environmental Protection, the Massachusetts National Guard and the Environmental Management Commission. The meeting will begin with an informal opportunity for the public to view poster boards and ask questions of the military and regulatory representatives. A formal presentation and question and answer session will begin at 6:00 p.m.

The petition and documents will also be available beginning June 20 for review at the main libraries in Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, and Sandwich, Mass.