1 Use of community-based participatory communication to identify community values at a Superfund site Chike Anyaegbunam, Ph.D. 1 , Anna Hoover 2 , & Mitchael Schwartz 1 Abstract This paper describes the role of Community-Based Participatory Communication in a multi- phase research project that will incorporate community values into a publicly approved Future State Vision Report for the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) National Priority List Superfund site and surrounding areas. The project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE) and implemented by the Kentucky Research Consortium for Energy and the Environment (KRCEE) at the University of Kentucky, is charged with developing and executing a methodology that ensures that local communities are adequately involved in decisions that affect how the Superfund site will be remediated, utilized, and monitored following cessation of uranium enrichment activities at the plant. Specifically, this project is expected to ensure that future use goals for the site help advance local needs and values. Background The significance of US DOE’s commission to develop a community-based future state vision for the PGDP is underscored largely by two reports that mandate the involvement of all parties in determining optimal cleanup levels and future use scenarios. The two government reports, “Draft Risk-Based End State Vision and Variance Report for the PGDP” (DOE, 2004) and “The Politics of Cleanup” (ECA, 2007), identify federal and local governments, community members, state and federal agencies, and Congress among the many important parties with stakes in the outcomes of future use decisions about the PGDP. The “Risk-Based End State (RBES) Vision and Variance Report for the PGDP” (DOE, 2004) identifies nine hazard areas at the plant and its surrounding areas. The report introduces maps and other referential information intended 1) to present and allow comparisons between current and future land uses; 2) to depict hazards and risks for affected or potentially affected populations; 3) to serve as a planning tool for site management; 4) to facilitate communication of risks during discussions with stakeholders; 5) to allow tracking of expected and actual cleanup results; and 6) to serve as a communication tool for public meetings related to cleanup activities, current PGDP missions and requirements, and future land use. The PGDP end state vision report developed by US DOE is not pre-decisional but is meant to introduce examples of actions that may be completed to reach the RBES. The selection of specific actions will be made in accordance with applicable laws and agreements only after stakeholders, particularly community members, have had an opportunity to provide input to the draft report. 1 College of Communications and Information Studies, 140 Grehan Building University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40406, USA; e-mail canya2@uky.edu 2 Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University of Kentucky