RE: EPA Dialogue Summary: Outreach (July 11)

[Null, Marilyn, Civ, SAF/MIQ <NullM@pentagon.af.mil>]

Missing from this summary are two major points:

1.  If EPA wants involvement, it is imperative that the Agency do the
footwork to identify community concerns, interests and needs and have the
appropriate expertise and resources to accomplish that.  By getting out and
personally talking to folks in the community, EPA will hear from the locals
what types of tools they need to incorporate into their stakeholder
involvement program to allow that community's members to voice their
interest in participating in the decision making process and recieving
information.  If the issue is a national one, EPA needs to start with known
national organizations and work through the process I described yesterday.

2.  Although newspaper ads, web sites, radio announcements, etc. are
important tools for getting information out, I continue to be concerned that
we talk about using these tools, but we don't discuss how to find out if
they are the correct tools for a particular issue and community.  I have not
found cookie-cutter approaches very useful in planning and developing
comprehensive stakeholder involvement programs.  Again, building the
relationship and, through that relationship, developing the stakeholder
involvement program to fit the community is an essential component to any
successful stakeholder involvement effort. 

Marilyn Null
Deputy for Community-Based Programs
SAF/MIQ
1660 Air Force Pentagon
Washington, DC  20330-1660
703-693-7705, DSN 223
FAX:  703-614-2884