Community relations activities during hazardous waste site cleanups are important for several reasons. Through these activities, the response agency can provide citizens affected by the site with needed information about site contamination and the likely effects of cleanup actions. Citizens in turn can provide the response agency with needed information about the extent of contamination, about alternative response actions, and about responsible parties. And, a close working relationship between the response agency and the community can help ensure that the community will support a cost-effective remedy at the site. This paper describes what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has learned about effective community relations activities at hazardous waste sites and suggests how some aspects of EPA's approach to community relations may be applicable to Department of Defense (DOD) sites.