The Link Between Trust and Information

[Linda Breggin <breggin@eli.org>]

The question about trust posed by our moderator today seems
directly related to the myriad issues about information
availability and dissemination that everyone has been addressing.
Based on ELI's capacity building research last year(see briefing
book on web site), it seems clear that lack of confidence in
and distrust of EPA results in part because people do not
have enough timely information about EPA and state activities
and perhaps, most importantly, how they are relevant to them.  A
classic example is the facility that is emitting smoke 
(particulates)in a neighborhood. When the community tries to
find out how to stop what they see as a problem, they find out
that the rulemaking that set the emissions standards for the 
facility was concluded years ago and they missed the opportunity
to participate in the siting and permitting processes for the
facility.

Accordingly, I am interested in hearing participants' 
perspectives on how (and whether)we can get information about 
EPA and state regulatory activities out to communities in a 
way that clearly explains the affect of the action on a 
particular community and how the community can participate.
To address the trust problem, it is also critical for EPA and 
the states to explain clearly what, if any,influence the 
community can really have on the pending action (a statute,
for example, may preclude a certain decision.)

It seems this would entail tailoring information from EPA 
and the states (to explain the relevance to a community)
and active dissemination (for example, notices in libaries
and even mailings to neighbors around a facility
subject to a permit action).

Do people agree and, if so, how can such information
be developed and provided?  What role can libraries play in 
delivering such information?