RE: The Link Between Trust and Information

[Ellie Skokan <eskokan@twsu.edu>]

I can only relate how things work in my community.

If citizens have already been adversely impacted by some pollution
source (most frequently groundwater contamination, in my area),
they will be usually be notified of any upcoming remediation action,
including public hearings regarding permits, etc.

If you don't fall in this catagory, or haven't expressed interest
in a specific site (in which case you may be placed on a mailing
list), you would probably have no idea of a pending permit which
might affect your community.

The documents related to such a permit hearing may be available at
various locations (but in my experience never on the internet).
In the worst case they will be available at the Regional EPA office
(200 miles away) or the State Dept. of Health and Environment (120
miles away).  In the intermediate case, they may be available at
the Regional Office of the State Dept. of Health and Environment.
None of these locations are accessible except during office hours
(typically 9 - 5).  In the best case, at the citizen's behest a
depository may be established.  This is sometimes at the public
library, sometimes at the City/County Health Department, or
occasionally at a suburban public library or other public facility.
In this best case, the documents are typically not cataloged, often
in a state of disarray, typically only one person at the facility
even knows they are at that location and knows little or nothing
about the subject matter.  Copies typically cost 20 cents a page
and there is not a public access copier.  In other words, you have
to designate which pages you want copied (which means, someone
knows what you are looking at) and someone else makes the copies.

This type of access is formidable even for an activist, let alone
for a general citizen.  In my experience, many of the affected
individuals are hesitant to go to an agency for information (trust
issue), and thus don't take advantage of what little information
is available in their community.

At a recent injection well permit hearing, I was the only local
individual who requested a copy of the permit, even though there
were about 50 citizens, potentially impacted by the decision, who
attended the hearing.

Sorry to be so pessimistic about the access issue - but I am.

Ellie Skokan

Sorry to be so pessimistic, but that's what happens in my community.