Welcome to Collaboration Day

[Deborah Dalton <dalton.deborah@epa.gov>]

Good morning, and welcome to the discussion day devoted to the topic of Collaboration Processes.  My name is Deborah Dalton, and I am representing today's hosting organization, the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center at EPA headquarters.  Our Center advises EPA management and staff in headquarters and in the resional offices on the selection and implementation of various public involvement, consultation, consensus-building and dispute resolution procedures for use in developing rules, implementing policy and prosecuting enforcement actions.  We also provide access and assistance to EPA staff in obtaining skilled facilitators and mediators from both inside and outside the government.  Since 1984 our staff has helped conduct regulatory negotiations on 21 rules and more than 20 public policy dialogues at the national level.  

Collaborative processes are those in which EPA engages representatives of stakeholders and the public over a period of time in joint debate and the drafting of either recommendations or agreements (see Jim Creighton's earlier post regarding the definitions).
  
Todays agenda poses a number of questions (see the agenda) but specifically, our group is interested in:

(1) What topics are appropriate for conducting a collaborative process? 

(2) How should EPA obtain the input of the public in deciding when to engage in a collaborative process?

(3) How are these processes best conducted?  

(4) What are the advantages and disadvantages of working within the Federal Advisory Committee context?

(5) What experiences have you had with facilitation of advisory groups or collaborative process groups?  Has it been better or not than groups chaired by a member of the group?

(6) What role should the members of a group have in choosing the facilitator of an advisory committee?