RE: introductions/goals

[Elizabeth Carlson <ecarlson@dnr.state.mn.us>]

Oh, it's about far more than simply disseminating information out to the public.  It's about information-sharing.  It's about engaging the public in contributing information to EPA processes.  It's about facilitating the involvement of people and organizations who are potentially affected by EPA policies and decisions.  It's about the belief (by some at least) that the public should have a say in decisions about actions that affect their lives, and that decision makers have an obligation (legal and/or ethical) to reach out to those people before decisions are made.  How that can or should happen is the subject of the proposed policy around which this dialogue is taking place.