Aloha from Honolulu

[Marty Walters <marty_walters@terrasano.com>]

While most of you have completed your working day, we're just hitting 
our stride here in Hawaii.  I'm an environmental consultant who used to 
write community relations plans for the Navy, but now I teach, consult 
with private landowners in Hawaii, and provide technical assistance to 
community groups on military environmental issues.  I'm also a life long 
resident of Hawaii, mother of three, and supporter of several peace and 
social justice programs here.

My perspective on public participation has changed since my days of 
writing community relations plans.  While I like the description of goals 
and objectives in the new guidance, my concerns are on how to 
translate those goals into my setting, where we could really use more of 
EPA's influence in public participation.  Because this guidance may be 
used by state governments and the military, I would like to see more 
focus on communication among stakeholders rather than flowing 
between EPA and the public.  We don't get to see much of EPA, even at 
the Superfund sites in Hawaii, so we need more innovative ways to 
identify and reach the people within EPA who can help our communities 
understand programs, permits, and cleanup activities.  Even though the 
Internet has helped tremendously, there is still an entry barrier to most 
citizens -- you have to know who you're looking for or exactly what 
regulatory program is being triggered.