Next steps for management action plans in the department of defense cleanup program

Management Action Plans (MAPs) are documents used to identify and monitor environmental restoration requirements, priorities, schedules, and project funding at Department of Defense (DOD) installations. Each DOD installation with cleanup requirements has a MAP which serves as a consolidated source of information on an installation's past accomplishments, current status, and future strategy through completion of response actions. Regulatory agencies and community stakeholders provide direct input to DOD's environmental restoration program at the installation- level through MAP development meetings and a variety of MAP review opportunities. Installation-specific MAPs are key building blocks for DOD's overall Program Objective Memorandum (POM), environmental restoration program budget, and environmental restoration program Annual Report to Congress. This article highlights recently published DOD MAP requirements and describes the central role that a MAP plays in communicating an installation's overall approach to achieving its environmental restoration goals.