Introduction

[Jennifer Cranford <cranford.jennifer@epa.gov>]

I'm from the Information Access Division of EPA's Office of Environmental Information.  As the EPA office dedicated to providing public access to environmental information, my colleagues and I are keenly interested in these discussions.  Our division is responsible for, among other things, running the top level of EPA's Web site, managing EPA's data warehouse (Envirofacts), and establishing policy and programs to address public access.  Our office also focuses on concerns like the digital divide, electronic access for people with disabilities, and multilingual information.  Some of our current activities include developing an Agency Public Access Strategy and researching the information needs of stakeholder groups like educators, the elderly, and journalists.  In addition to myself, discussion participants from our office will include Darlene Boerlage, Tom Maloney, Shelley Fudge, and Richard Huffine.