Identifying the public/Feedback/EJ concerns

[Charlie Atherton <charlie@structurex.net>]

I have personally been involved in this difficult task of identifying the public and public feedback for many years.  I can only speak to identifying and notifying geographically manageable areas of people such as a county or parish. 
The best method that I have seen is through radio and TV news and advertisements.  This seems to reach more people quickly and generate public discussion in people's every lives as they go about making their livings.  These discussions cause people to band together to support one another in their involvement.

The best way for the public to notify EPA or any other agency of their interest is through toll free phones advertised on radio and TV.  SEP's (Supplimental Environmental Projects) can be used to provide toll free phones to the public.

Mailouts are effective if you blanket the community by addresses such as "TO: Resident", but people tend to think that they are the only person that received a mailout, so they may not have the support of their neighbor to get involved.  When mailouts are used in addition with Radio and TV, this causes neighbor support discussion and involvement to happen that encourages people to band together to get involved.  Mailouts are the pieces of paper that empower people, and the radio and TV tell people what the piece of paper means and how to use it. 

It is also effective when different government agencies talk to one another (EPA, ATSDR,DEQ, State Health, etc.) to share mailout lists, sign in sheets from previous meetings, and local customary notification methods, that have successfully been used in the past. 

Agencies should not depend upon local or national "groups" to get the word out to the public.  Agencies must communicate directly with the public.  Charlie Atherton