">Detailed Agenda <a name="introductions"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-a1.html">July 10 (Tuesday):</a> Introductions and Goals of the Public Involvement Policy Today the Dialogue on Public Involvement in EPA Decisions begins with personal introductions and a discussion on the goals of the Public Involvement Policy. <ol> <li>When you send your first message, please tell us about your prior public involvement experiences in EPA decision-making activities and why you have decided to participate in this Dialogue. If your experience has only been at the state or local level, please tell us about that instead. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Introduction </ul> <li>Last December 28th, EPA issued a draft Public Involvement Policy that updated the Agency's 20-year old Public Participation Policy. EPA plans to issue its Final Public Involvement Policy early next year. In the meantime, the Agency is working on how to implement this new policy. The draft policy lists <a href="goals.shtml"> goals and objectives</a> for public involvement. Please comment on the completeness of these goals. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Completeness of goals </ul> </ol> <a name="outreach"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-b1.html">July 11 (Wednesday):</a> Outreach - Identifying the Interested Public Today the agenda focuses on how EPA should identify interested and potentially affected parties early in its decision-making process. The Agency must communicate with all affected sectors of the public. In turn, interested members of the public need to be able to notify EPA of their interests in particular issues. <ol> <li> Please suggest how the Agency can enhance its identification efforts. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Identifying the public </ul> In addition, recommend ways in which the public can better notify EPA of their interest in particular issues. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Notifying EPA of interest </ul> <li> The Agency also wants to enable minority, low-income, and underserved populations to participate more effectively in its activities. This has been a difficult task, especially where the community has not had any prior involvement with EPA and where it may not have Internet access. Please recommend ways for the Agency to identify, reach and address the concerns of these groups. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Environmental Justice concerns </ul> </ol> <a name="information"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-c1.html">July 12 (Thursday):</a> Getting Information Out EPA tries to provide the public with timely, understandable information in useful formats to enable meaningful participation. The Agency wants to ensure that the public understands both the legal requirements for its actions and the technical information that supports a particular policy alternative. Because EPA's mission is so complex, this often is a challenging task. Input on how to improve information distribution practices at the national and local levels is the focus of today's discussion. <ol> <li> At the national level the Agency disseminates information to stakeholders and the public using print materials, the Web, hotlines, listserves and soon an electronic docket system. Please make recommendations on how EPA can better distribute information to a national audience. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Distributing info nationally </ul> <li> EPA also distributes information locally and regionally. Libraries, community drop-in centers and physical document depositories are ways for the Agency to provide information to local groups. Please discuss how EPA can improve its operations in this regard. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Distributing info local/regional </ul> <li> Please comment on the best approaches for providing information and tools to small businesses. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Info to small businesses </ul> <li> Tell us about particular features on some EPA and State Web pages that are most useful to you. In addition, address the features that are most difficult for you to utilize. Describe the information that you cannot find but would like to have available to you online. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Useful features of Web sites <li>Difficult aspects of Web sites <li>Information that should be online </ul> <li>Recommend ways for EPA to ensure that the public has adequate time to review information so that it can participate effectively in decision-making processes. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Adequate time for public review </ul> </ol> <a name="assistance"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-d1.html">July 13 (Friday):</a> Providing Assistance to Promote Public Involvement Effective involvement in EPA activities often entails substantial commitments of time for study, research, analysis and discussion. Some organizations and individuals can easily participate because it is part of their mission or jobs; others find it difficult, costly, and confusing because of inadequate resources and time constraints. <ol> <li> Recognizing the Agency's budgetary and resource constraints, discuss the types of technical and financial assistance that stakeholders and the public need to participate effectively. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Needed technical assistance <li>Needed financial assistance </ul> <li> Recommend ways that EPA can make it easier for people to educate themselves about policy and technical issues. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Self-educating on technical issues </ul> <li> Suggest how EPA can involve individuals and groups without computer access. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Involving people w/o computers </ul></ol> <a name="catch-up"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-X8.html#Jul14">July 14 (Saturday):</a> Catch-up Day Today there is no pre-set agenda or topics for discussion. Please feel free to read and send messages on all our earlier conversations. For those who could not join the discussion earlier, this is the day you can participate from home, the library or other locations. <a name="collaboration"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-e1.html">July 16 (Monday):</a> Collaborative Processes This topic will focus on EPA's collaborative decision-making processes such as stakeholder negotiations, mediation, regulatory negotiations, Federal Advisory Committee Act proceedings and comparable processes used by other governmental agencies. <ol> <li> Based on your experience, state how these more intensive participatory processes have worked when smaller groups addressed particular environmental problems. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Collaborative processes-how they work </ul> <li> Describe both what has worked well when such approaches were used and what types of decisions are best suited to these types of collaborative efforts. <ul> <li>Collaborative processes-what works <li>Decisions suited to collaborative efforts </ul> <li> Suggest how EPA can more effectively use collaborative processes at the national, regional and local levels. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Collaborative processes-national <li>Collaborative processes-regional <li>Collaborative processes-local </ul> <li> Please comment on the use of collaborative processes to address issues of concern to small businesses and small communities. <ul> <li>Collaboration and small business <li>Collaboration and small communities </ul> </ol> <a name="permits"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-f1.html">July 17 (Tuesday):</a> Required Public Comment and Consultation on Permits and Rules Laws and policy require EPA to seek public input when making permitting decisions, settling enforcement actions and developing regulations and policies. The draft Public Involvement Policy goes beyond the legally required minimum to promote equal and open access to the regulatory process. <ol> <li> Suggest how EPA should improve public input into permitting decisions. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Improve input to permitting </ul><li> Recommend "best practices" for public hearings on proposed regulations, permits, Superfund clean-ups, etc. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Best practice on public hearings </ul> <li> Suggest ways for EPA to encourage groups from outside Washington to participate in national rulemakings and policy development. Include your thoughts on how to address this issue with better online tools and changes to the <a href="../bb/reg.shtml">Unified Agenda</a>. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Encouraging participation beyond the beltway <li>Online tools <li>Changes to Unified Agenda </ul><li> EPA and the United States Department of Justice seek public input when an enforcement action is settled. Please offer your recommendations on how to improve this process. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Input in enforcement action </ul><li> Suggest ways that EPA can obtain more input from small businesses when making permitting and regulatory decisions. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Small business input </ul></ol> <a name="local"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-g1.html">July 18 (Wednesday):</a> Superfund, Local Environmental Partnerships and Risk Communication Superfund and local environmental partnerships focus on important environmental problems at the local level. Risk communication involves EPA's activities at both the local and national levels. <ol> <li> Recommend ways for EPA to involve the public more effectively in decisions at Superfund sites. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Superfund sites-involving the public </ul><li> Suggest ways for EPA to serve as a more effective facilitator in solving local environmental problems. This would include Brownfields, water quality planning and management and other community-based issues. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Superfund sites-involving the public </ul><li> Suggest ways for EPA to better communicate risk information to the public. Please address how EPA should involve its stakeholders and its regulatory partners in performing this task. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Improving risk communication <li>Involving stakeholders/partners in risk communication </ul></ol> <a name="states"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-h1.html">July 19 (Thursday):</a> States, Tribes and Local Governments States, tribes and local governments have a dual role in EPA activities. They are directly interested in Agency decisions and they are co-regulators who carry out EPA programs. This dual role gives them a unique perspective on the Agency's public involvement practices. This regulatory partnership between EPA, the states, tribes and local governments can be confusing to outsiders. Today EPA hopes to hear from states, tribes, local governments and from organizations and individuals that participate in decision-making at state and local levels. <ol> <li> Based on your experience, describe the "best practices" that states, tribes and local governments have adopted to improve public involvement in environmental decision-making. Possible threads: <ul> <li>States best practices <li>Tribes govt best practices <li>Local govt best practices </ul><li> States, tribes and local governments jointly administer many environmental programs with EPA. The Agency's draft Public Involvement Policy applies only to EPA; it does not apply to the public involvement processes of states, tribes and local governments. Recognizing that resource constraints exist at all levels of government, please recommend ways that EPA can encourage and promote effective public involvement in these delegated programs. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Involvement in delegated programs </ul><li> Recommend additional (non-financial) support that the Agency may provide to local governments that would enable them to participate more effectively in EPA decision-making. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Supporting local govts' participation </ul></ol> <a name="evaluation"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-i1.html">July 20 (Friday):</a> Evaluation This is the last day of the Dialogue. It is also the day to examine how EPA uses public input and how the Agency should evaluate its involvement processes. <ol> <li> Given its resource constraints, suggest how EPA can provide feedback to the public about how their input is used in the Agency's decision-making activities. Please suggest ways to increase the transparency of EPA's decision-making processes. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Increase transparency of decision-making </ul><li> Describe the criteria you think the Agency should use to evaluate the effectiveness of its Public Involvement Policy and the success of its activities in this area. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Criteria for policy effectiveness <li>Criteria for public involvement success </ul> <li> List the lessons you want EPA to take away from this Dialogue Possible threads: <ul> <li>Lessons from Dialogue for EPA </ul></ol> Please take a few minutes to fill out the online <a href="epasurvey.shtml">Evaluation Survey</a>. This form will take you about ten minutes to complete and will provide valuable data on the conduct of this online Dialogue. Results will be shared with all project participants. <html> <head> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/network-democracy/images/favicon_epa-pip.ico" type="image/x-icon" /> <title> </td> </tr></table>  </td>  </tr></table>  </td></tr>   <tr><td bgcolor="#F7F2E6"> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/welcome.shtml">Welcome</a> | <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/about/about.shtml">About this Event</a> | <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/join/join.shtml">Join the Dialogue</a> | <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/bb/bb.shtml">Briefing Book</a> | <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/comment/comment.shtml">Formal Comment</a> | <a href="/cgi-bin/network-democracy/epa-pip/search.plx">Search</a> </td></tr>  </table></td>  </tr> <tr><td bgcolor="F7F2E6" colspan=2> <center>This EPA Dialogue is managed by Information Renaissance. Messages from participants are posted on this non-EPA web site. Views expressed in this dialogue do not represent official EPA policies. </center> </td></tr> </table>  </body> </html>

n" href="/network-democracy/images/favicon_epa-pip.ico" type="image/x-icon" /> ">Detailed Agenda <a name="introductions"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-a1.html">July 10 (Tuesday):</a> Introductions and Goals of the Public Involvement Policy Today the Dialogue on Public Involvement in EPA Decisions begins with personal introductions and a discussion on the goals of the Public Involvement Policy. <ol> <li>When you send your first message, please tell us about your prior public involvement experiences in EPA decision-making activities and why you have decided to participate in this Dialogue. If your experience has only been at the state or local level, please tell us about that instead. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Introduction </ul> <li>Last December 28th, EPA issued a draft Public Involvement Policy that updated the Agency's 20-year old Public Participation Policy. EPA plans to issue its Final Public Involvement Policy early next year. In the meantime, the Agency is working on how to implement this new policy. The draft policy lists <a href="goals.shtml"> goals and objectives</a> for public involvement. Please comment on the completeness of these goals. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Completeness of goals </ul> </ol> <a name="outreach"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-b1.html">July 11 (Wednesday):</a> Outreach - Identifying the Interested Public Today the agenda focuses on how EPA should identify interested and potentially affected parties early in its decision-making process. The Agency must communicate with all affected sectors of the public. In turn, interested members of the public need to be able to notify EPA of their interests in particular issues. <ol> <li> Please suggest how the Agency can enhance its identification efforts. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Identifying the public </ul> In addition, recommend ways in which the public can better notify EPA of their interest in particular issues. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Notifying EPA of interest </ul> <li> The Agency also wants to enable minority, low-income, and underserved populations to participate more effectively in its activities. This has been a difficult task, especially where the community has not had any prior involvement with EPA and where it may not have Internet access. Please recommend ways for the Agency to identify, reach and address the concerns of these groups. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Environmental Justice concerns </ul> </ol> <a name="information"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-c1.html">July 12 (Thursday):</a> Getting Information Out EPA tries to provide the public with timely, understandable information in useful formats to enable meaningful participation. The Agency wants to ensure that the public understands both the legal requirements for its actions and the technical information that supports a particular policy alternative. Because EPA's mission is so complex, this often is a challenging task. Input on how to improve information distribution practices at the national and local levels is the focus of today's discussion. <ol> <li> At the national level the Agency disseminates information to stakeholders and the public using print materials, the Web, hotlines, listserves and soon an electronic docket system. Please make recommendations on how EPA can better distribute information to a national audience. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Distributing info nationally </ul> <li> EPA also distributes information locally and regionally. Libraries, community drop-in centers and physical document depositories are ways for the Agency to provide information to local groups. Please discuss how EPA can improve its operations in this regard. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Distributing info local/regional </ul> <li> Please comment on the best approaches for providing information and tools to small businesses. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Info to small businesses </ul> <li> Tell us about particular features on some EPA and State Web pages that are most useful to you. In addition, address the features that are most difficult for you to utilize. Describe the information that you cannot find but would like to have available to you online. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Useful features of Web sites <li>Difficult aspects of Web sites <li>Information that should be online </ul> <li>Recommend ways for EPA to ensure that the public has adequate time to review information so that it can participate effectively in decision-making processes. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Adequate time for public review </ul> </ol> <a name="assistance"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-d1.html">July 13 (Friday):</a> Providing Assistance to Promote Public Involvement Effective involvement in EPA activities often entails substantial commitments of time for study, research, analysis and discussion. Some organizations and individuals can easily participate because it is part of their mission or jobs; others find it difficult, costly, and confusing because of inadequate resources and time constraints. <ol> <li> Recognizing the Agency's budgetary and resource constraints, discuss the types of technical and financial assistance that stakeholders and the public need to participate effectively. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Needed technical assistance <li>Needed financial assistance </ul> <li> Recommend ways that EPA can make it easier for people to educate themselves about policy and technical issues. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Self-educating on technical issues </ul> <li> Suggest how EPA can involve individuals and groups without computer access. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Involving people w/o computers </ul></ol> <a name="catch-up"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-X8.html#Jul14">July 14 (Saturday):</a> Catch-up Day Today there is no pre-set agenda or topics for discussion. Please feel free to read and send messages on all our earlier conversations. For those who could not join the discussion earlier, this is the day you can participate from home, the library or other locations. <a name="collaboration"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-e1.html">July 16 (Monday):</a> Collaborative Processes This topic will focus on EPA's collaborative decision-making processes such as stakeholder negotiations, mediation, regulatory negotiations, Federal Advisory Committee Act proceedings and comparable processes used by other governmental agencies. <ol> <li> Based on your experience, state how these more intensive participatory processes have worked when smaller groups addressed particular environmental problems. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Collaborative processes-how they work </ul> <li> Describe both what has worked well when such approaches were used and what types of decisions are best suited to these types of collaborative efforts. <ul> <li>Collaborative processes-what works <li>Decisions suited to collaborative efforts </ul> <li> Suggest how EPA can more effectively use collaborative processes at the national, regional and local levels. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Collaborative processes-national <li>Collaborative processes-regional <li>Collaborative processes-local </ul> <li> Please comment on the use of collaborative processes to address issues of concern to small businesses and small communities. <ul> <li>Collaboration and small business <li>Collaboration and small communities </ul> </ol> <a name="permits"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-f1.html">July 17 (Tuesday):</a> Required Public Comment and Consultation on Permits and Rules Laws and policy require EPA to seek public input when making permitting decisions, settling enforcement actions and developing regulations and policies. The draft Public Involvement Policy goes beyond the legally required minimum to promote equal and open access to the regulatory process. <ol> <li> Suggest how EPA should improve public input into permitting decisions. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Improve input to permitting </ul><li> Recommend "best practices" for public hearings on proposed regulations, permits, Superfund clean-ups, etc. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Best practice on public hearings </ul> <li> Suggest ways for EPA to encourage groups from outside Washington to participate in national rulemakings and policy development. Include your thoughts on how to address this issue with better online tools and changes to the <a href="../bb/reg.shtml">Unified Agenda</a>. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Encouraging participation beyond the beltway <li>Online tools <li>Changes to Unified Agenda </ul><li> EPA and the United States Department of Justice seek public input when an enforcement action is settled. Please offer your recommendations on how to improve this process. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Input in enforcement action </ul><li> Suggest ways that EPA can obtain more input from small businesses when making permitting and regulatory decisions. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Small business input </ul></ol> <a name="local"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-g1.html">July 18 (Wednesday):</a> Superfund, Local Environmental Partnerships and Risk Communication Superfund and local environmental partnerships focus on important environmental problems at the local level. Risk communication involves EPA's activities at both the local and national levels. <ol> <li> Recommend ways for EPA to involve the public more effectively in decisions at Superfund sites. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Superfund sites-involving the public </ul><li> Suggest ways for EPA to serve as a more effective facilitator in solving local environmental problems. This would include Brownfields, water quality planning and management and other community-based issues. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Superfund sites-involving the public </ul><li> Suggest ways for EPA to better communicate risk information to the public. Please address how EPA should involve its stakeholders and its regulatory partners in performing this task. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Improving risk communication <li>Involving stakeholders/partners in risk communication </ul></ol> <a name="states"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-h1.html">July 19 (Thursday):</a> States, Tribes and Local Governments States, tribes and local governments have a dual role in EPA activities. They are directly interested in Agency decisions and they are co-regulators who carry out EPA programs. This dual role gives them a unique perspective on the Agency's public involvement practices. This regulatory partnership between EPA, the states, tribes and local governments can be confusing to outsiders. Today EPA hopes to hear from states, tribes, local governments and from organizations and individuals that participate in decision-making at state and local levels. <ol> <li> Based on your experience, describe the "best practices" that states, tribes and local governments have adopted to improve public involvement in environmental decision-making. Possible threads: <ul> <li>States best practices <li>Tribes govt best practices <li>Local govt best practices </ul><li> States, tribes and local governments jointly administer many environmental programs with EPA. The Agency's draft Public Involvement Policy applies only to EPA; it does not apply to the public involvement processes of states, tribes and local governments. Recognizing that resource constraints exist at all levels of government, please recommend ways that EPA can encourage and promote effective public involvement in these delegated programs. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Involvement in delegated programs </ul><li> Recommend additional (non-financial) support that the Agency may provide to local governments that would enable them to participate more effectively in EPA decision-making. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Supporting local govts' participation </ul></ol> <a name="evaluation"></a> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/archive/date-i1.html">July 20 (Friday):</a> Evaluation This is the last day of the Dialogue. It is also the day to examine how EPA uses public input and how the Agency should evaluate its involvement processes. <ol> <li> Given its resource constraints, suggest how EPA can provide feedback to the public about how their input is used in the Agency's decision-making activities. Please suggest ways to increase the transparency of EPA's decision-making processes. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Increase transparency of decision-making </ul><li> Describe the criteria you think the Agency should use to evaluate the effectiveness of its Public Involvement Policy and the success of its activities in this area. Possible threads: <ul> <li>Criteria for policy effectiveness <li>Criteria for public involvement success </ul> <li> List the lessons you want EPA to take away from this Dialogue Possible threads: <ul> <li>Lessons from Dialogue for EPA </ul></ol> Please take a few minutes to fill out the online <a href="epasurvey.shtml">Evaluation Survey</a>. This form will take you about ten minutes to complete and will provide valuable data on the conduct of this online Dialogue. Results will be shared with all project participants. <html> <head> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/network-democracy/images/favicon_epa-pip.ico" type="image/x-icon" /> <title> </td> </tr></table>  </td>  </tr></table>  </td></tr>   <tr><td bgcolor="#F7F2E6"> <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/welcome.shtml">Welcome</a> | <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/about/about.shtml">About this Event</a> | <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/join/join.shtml">Join the Dialogue</a> | <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/bb/bb.shtml">Briefing Book</a> | <a href="/network-democracy/epa-pip/comment/comment.shtml">Formal Comment</a> | <a href="/cgi-bin/network-democracy/epa-pip/search.plx">Search</a> </td></tr>  </table></td>  </tr> <tr><td bgcolor="F7F2E6" colspan=2> <center>This EPA Dialogue is managed by Information Renaissance. Messages from participants are posted on this non-EPA web site. Views expressed in this dialogue do not represent official EPA policies. </center> </td></tr> </table>  </body> </html>