RE: EPA's evolving role - communication is a two-way street.

[Betty Winter <winter.betty@epa.gov>]

To Mark Stephan's comments on EPA (or any agency's) ability to overcome "biases" against full public involvement by outreach, education, technical assistance, funding, etc., I can only say AMEN!!!   I agree these issues are crucial to true public involvement but having worked in the Superfund community involvement program in the past for about 12 years, I also agree that EPA does have "capacity" limitations.  There is a constant struggle for resources for education/outreach tools and events and the need to tailor these to different communities' needs also seems insurmountable sometimes.  I certainly don't have any answers for how the agency can do all it needs to do, but the use of potential partnerships mentioned in this dialog may be an area the agency needs to pursue more or in new ways than it has in the past  (e.g., with libraries, universities, state and local governments, other feds and others I have probably overlooked).  The issue of how to fund what needs to be done may be more difficult to address.