EPA Dialogue Summary: Outreach (July 11)

[Sally Hedman <shedman@home.com>]

Public Involvement in EPA Decisions
Discussion Summary: July 11, 2001

Dialogue Day 2 Agenda: Identifying the Interested Public

Today's topic addresses the audience for EPA information. Dialogue
moderator Bob Carlitz asked participants how EPA can identify the
audience for EPA information and how groups and individuals might inform
EPA of their interest. He noted that Environmental Justice in an
important concern: how can the Agency enable underserved populations to
participate more effectively.

Note: Postings appearing by 8:00 PM Eastern time appear in today's
summary.

Participants offered thoughtful and compelling opinions relating to
today's topic, Identifying the Interested Public. The diversity of the
posts reflected our participants' breadth of knowledge and experience.
Many posts focused on issues related to local Superfund sites. Others
expressed concerns about citizen involvement and Agency responsiveness.
A few questioned whether EPA should integrate public participation into
its management systems for the entire policy life cycle.

How EPA should identify interested and potentially affected parties

** Identifying interested stakeholders is the first crucial step in
public participation. Suggestions and resources for identifying
stakeholders included: newspaper articles and ads, public service
announcements and news stories on radio and television, radio ads, talk
shows, videos on community access channels, community leaders and
residents, open houses and public meetings, churches and libraries,
door-to-door neighborhood walks, city and county council meetings,
community and neighborhood organizations. Many of these forums generate
public discussion and cause people to band together.

** Major stakeholders are those adversely impacted by environmental
assaults, and their early notification and involvement with EPA is
essential and primary. To this end, informing and identifying the
impacted community is the first step to outreach in affected
communities. This should start with communities that are located
fence-line to the assault and follow all exposure routes that may carry
contaminants away from the site (surface waters, channels, creeks,
etc.). Fence-line communities get the major hit from air borne
pollutants; however, down-wind communities are also impacted.

** One outreach strategy is to intimately involve environmental justice
organizations. These organizations address the assault as their primary
goal and are more effective than the best EPA outreach in informing and
involving the affected community.

** EPA needs to contact abutters, current and potential users of natural
resources, regional special interests, as well as community leaders
about parties who may be interested.

** Participants considered the different meanings of the concept "public
involvement." Levels of the Public Participation Spectrum include to
inform, consult, involve, collaborate, and empower. Identifying the
appropriate public(s) depends on the level of involvement that EPA is
offering.

It was noted that protest, direct action, and civil disobedience are
also effective means to bring about change.

** EPA should encourage direct participation on review teams, which
gives members more ability to speak than if they were in the audience.

** Public involvement staff at the federal, state, and local level can
identify groups, solicit their interest, and extend invitations to
forums.

** EPA should seek individuals who have complained about a situation.
These people have already shown an interest and some motivation. Lists
of complainants may be found in city hall, state and local environmental
agencies, and health departments, etc. EPA needs to ensure that state,
local and tribal entities inform the public where to direct complaints
and then record the complaints.

** Public involvement throughout the life of a project requires
identifying stakeholders early. Keeping these stakeholders informed from
the start will result in more valuable input at that critical phase when
their comments are needed.

** EPA should form a network throughout the country of local "Outreach"
professionals and let these local professionals identify the target
audiences using guidelines provided by EPA.

** In identifying concerned tribes, EPA must consider many factors:
legal requirements, statutory rights regarding aboriginal lands,
historic preservation, grave protection and repatriation, and
traditional cultural property, among others.

** Greater efforts need to be made to involve the public in the
rulemaking process. The Federal Register does not work well as an
effective notification tool for residents of small communities.

** EPA should focus strategically on understanding and addressing
community perceptions (right or wrong) to be more effective.

** Outreach must go beyond education. Public Involvement means getting
involved, taking action, and making a change. EPA needs to focus on
learning what motivates people to action and implement these motivating
factors.

How can groups and individuals inform EPA of their interests?

** Toll free phones advertised on TV and radio allow people to reach
EPA.

** Mailings used in conjunction with TV and radio stimulates neighbor
support discussion and involvement.

** Mailing lists and sign-in sheets from different government agencies
is another source of interested individuals and groups.

** Agencies must deal directly with the public, rather than rely on
local or national groups to get the word out to the public. Groups do
not have a mission to talk to the public, or if they do, it is to their
own constituency flavored by their perspective on the issue.

** In some areas the EPA relies on newspapers and federal newsletters to
reach the public. Criticism of this approach centered on whitewashing
information and "disinforming" the public about issues.

** The public can contact EPA via letters, email, attending meetings,
telephone calls, web-based message services. This needs to be a two-way
activity; i.e., EPA needs to seek out interest by continually informing
the public in regional newspapers, television, and radio.

** Forums, web sites, and video conferences are a few means of seeking
input from groups and individuals.

** Local professionals who work on a project could set up ways for
communities to notify them of their interest.

Environmental Justice:  how can EPA enable underserved  populations to
participate more effectively?

** EPA needs to request from community leaders information about
potentially interested parties. This needs to be an iterative process.
Community resources may include organizations, churches, neighborhoods,
interest groups, etc.

** The professional network at the local level could inform EPA of the
local issues.

** Those involved in outreach among underserved populations must bear in
mind there is significant diversity within any group. Consideration must
be given to racial, ethnic, and economic differences; immigration and
legal status; cultural and historical differences.  While the media is
an important component of reaching the underserved, building an
effective local and national network is the key.

** EPA needs to enhance its identification efforts when it comes to
tribal communities. Develop relationships with all tribal organizations
and do not rely on electronic media.

** One long post addressed specially affected populations and how to
develop a Participatory Equity Principle.

Each day's summary is intended to capture the essence of the
conversation. While this summary contains the highlights of
participants' comments relating to today's topics, more comprehensive
information may be found in the individual postings. I welcome your
comments on the summaries. This and all daily summaries are available
from the agenda page of the website.

http://www.info-ren.org/network-democracy/epa-pip/join/agenda.shtml

Sally Hedman
Reporter