Document ID: EPA-HQ-OA-2003-0005-0011
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2003-06-05T04:00Z

Draft
Recommendations
for
Implementing
EPA's
Public
Involvement
Policy
January
10,
2002
Please
direct
questions
or
comments
(
by
March
17,
2002)
to:

Patricia
Bonner,
US
EPA,
Office
of
Policy,
Economics
and
Innovation
1200
Pennsylvania
Ave,
NW
(
1807)
Washington,
DC
20460
fax
202­
260­
4903
phone
202­
260­
0599
bonner.
patricia@
epa.
gov
or
stakeholders@
epa.
gov
1
Draft
Recommendations
for
Implementing
EPA's
Public
Involvement
Policy
Contents
1.
Purpose
and
Executive
Summary
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2
2.
History
of
EPA's
Public
Involvement
Policies
and
Implementation
Plans
.
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4
3.
Implementation
Recommendations
a.
Training
Component
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6
b.
Information
Sharing
Component
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.
8
c.
Evaluation
and
Accountability
Component
.
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10
2
1.
Purpose
and
Executive
Summary
The
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(
EPA)
released
its
draft
Public
Involvement
Policy
in
December
2000
and
plans
to
issue
the
final
policy
in
the
spring
of
2002.
The
policy
provides
guidance
to
EPA
managers
and
staff
on
how
they
can
better
involve
the
public
in
the
Agency's
decisions.
A
cross­
agency
workgroup
was
charged
with
developing
recommendations
to
support
implementing
the
new
policy
and
improving
the
overall
quality
of
EPA
public
involvement
activities.
The
draft
implementation
recommendations
in
this
document
are
the
result
of
the
workgroup's
efforts.
Implementation
of
these
recommended
activities
depends
upon
adequate
resources
for
public
involvement
within
EPA.

The
commentors
on
the
draft
Public
Involvement
Policy
and
participants
in
an
online
dialogue
told
EPA
that
while
the
Agency
is
very
effective
in
engaging
the
public
some
times
on
some
decisions,
Agency
practice
varies
widely.
The
thrust
of
the
recommended
activities
proposed
in
this
draft
document
­­
information
sharing,
training,
and
evaluation
­­
is
to
share
the
best
methods
used
across
EPA,
promote
their
routine
use,
and
develop
a
means
of
measuring
the
results.
The
goal
is
for
excellent
public
involvement
to
become
an
integral
part
of
EPA's
culture,
thus
improving
all
of
the
Agency's
decisions.

Many
of
the
laws
and
regulations
that
govern
EPA's
actions
require
the
Agency
to
conduct
certain
public
involvement
activities.
These
requirements
specify
that
for
certain
decisions
EPA
must
notify
the
public,
hold
public
comment
periods
or
public
meetings,
provide
public
access
to
information,
or
provide
other
opportunities
for
the
public
to
participate
in
decision­
making
processes.
Effective
public
involvement
opportunities
in
EPA
decisions
should
be
designed
into
EPA's
rule­
making
process
at
the
earliest
planning
stages.

Many
EPA
program
offices
and
regions
typically
provide
additional
opportunities
for
public
involvement
beyond
basic
requirements,
recognizing
that
when
EPA
listens
to
the
American
people
and
understands
their
issues,
the
Agency
can
better
accomplish
its
mission.
Active
public
participation
in
EPA
decision­
making
processes
is
critical
to
ensuring
that
the
Agency
bases
its
decisions
on
the
most
pertinent
information
and
creates
workable
long­
term
solutions
for
the
affected
public
while
protecting
public
health
and
the
environment.

Through
implementing
the
Public
Involvement
Policy
and
these
recommendations,
the
Agency
intends
to
achieve
and
measure:
°
Enhancement
of
EPA's
public
involvement
activities
°
Greater
consistency
in
the
ways
EPA
conducts
its
public
involvement
efforts
°
Stakeholder
recognition
of
improvement
in
the
quality
of
opportunities
to
work
with
EPA
°
Better
public
understanding
of
EPA's
mission,
processes
and
appropriate
roles
of
partners,
stakeholders
and
the
public
°
Increased
public
trust
°
Improved
quality
of
the
Agency's
decisions
In
drafting
these
recommendations,
the
EPA
workgroup
recognized
the
critical
need
for
EPA
staff
and
managers
to
have
the
appropriate
training
and
necessary
tools
to
successfully
plan,
conduct
and
evaluate
their
public
involvement
activities.
Therefore,
the
workgroup
recommends
that
EPA
create
mechanisms
that
support
continuous
learning
about
effective
3
public
involvement
practices,
and
that
human
resource
systems
support
staff
as
they
strive
for
excellence
in
public
involvement.

Chapter
2
summarizes
the
chronological
history
of
EPA's
public
involvement
policies
and
their
implementation
plans.

Chapter
3
outlines
the
activities
recommended
for
three
critical
internal
functions:
training,
information
sharing,
and
evaluation.
Training
recommendations
include:
disseminating
information
about
available
training
and
support
materials
across
the
Agency,
developing
necessary
new
training
modules,
partnering
with
existing
EPA
training
outlets
and
courses
to
include
or
update
public
involvement
content,
providing
train­
the­
trainers
courses,
and
continuing
to
support
trainers
and
trainees
with
necessary
materials.

Proposed
activities
that
promote
information
sharing
include:
creating
and
managing
a
communication
network
for
EPA
staff;
and
developing
an
electronic
toolkit
to
improve
dissemination
of
policy
materials,
public
involvement
best
practices,
case
studies
and
available
training
materials
and
opportunities.
EPA
will
update
the
databases
and
manage
the
communication
network.

Evaluation
recommendations
include:
adoption
of
a
five­
year
framework
which
calls
for
conducting
an
agency­
wide
survey
of
public
involvement
practices
in
2002;
developing
measures,
survey
tools
and
related
training
that
EPA
offices
can
use
to
evaluate
their
public
involvement
activities;
conducting
evaluations
across
the
Agency
and
sharing
results;
and
conducting
a
second
agency­
wide
evaluation.
4
2.
History
of
EPA's
Public
Involvement
Policies
and
Implementation
Plans
In
February
1979,
EPA
promulgated
regulations
at
40
CFR
Part
25
governing
public
participation
in
the
Clean
Water
Act,
Safe
Drinking
Water
Act
and
Resource
Conservation
and
Recovery
Act.
In
the
same
year,
EPA
began
developing
the
Agency's
first
Public
Participation
Policy.
A
draft
of
the
policy
was
published
for
comment
in
the
Federal
Register
in
April
1980.

EPA
actively
sought
public
input
on
the
draft
Public
Participation
Policy
and
the
EPA
regional
offices
held
ten
public
meetings.
On
January
19,
1981,
the
Agency
issued
the
final
Public
Participation
Policy.
However,
plans
to
publicize
and
implement
the
1981
policy,
including
training
EPA
staff
and
staff
of
regulatory
partners,
were
not
carried
out.
During
the
subsequent
years,
knowledge
of
the
1981
policy
diminished
externally
and
within
the
Agency.

In
July
1999,
the
EPA
Innovations
Task
Force
issued
"
Aiming
for
Excellence:
Actions
to
Encourage
Stewardship
and
Accelerate
Environmental
Progress"
(
EPA
100­
R­
99­
006).
In
the
report,
EPA
pledged
to
evaluate
its
public
participation
policies
and
regulations
in
light
of
current
practices,
relevant
statutes,
regulations,
and
Executive
Orders.
In
October
1999,
EPA
convened
a
cross­
agency
workgroup
to
evaluate
the
Agency's
existing
public
participation
requirements
and
practices,
and
to
provide
recommendations
to
the
Administrator.

On
November
30,
1999,
EPA
re­
published
the
1981
policy
in
the
Federal
Register
and
asked
for
suggestions
on
changes
to
the
policy,
on
the
processes
that
work
well
or
need
improvement,
and
on
how
the
Agency
should
involve
the
public
in
revising
the
policy.
Based
on
public
comments
and
internal
review,
in
its
report
to
the
Administrator,
"
Engaging
the
American
People,"
the
workgroup
recommended:

1.
Revising
the
1981
policy
to
accommodate:
°
New
statutes
and
regulations
°
An
increased
awareness
and
understanding
of
the
processes
associated
with
engaging
the
public
°
Changed
relationships
with
state,
local
and
tribal
governments
2.
Implementing
the
new
policy
across
the
Agency,
focusing
on
the
areas
of:
°
Public
involvement
training
for
EPA
staff
and
delegated
program
partners
°
Sharing
public
involvement
information
among
EPA
staff
°
Creating
mechanisms
for
tracking,
measuring
and
evaluating
the
effectiveness
of
EPA's
public
involvement
efforts
In
the
year
2000,
members
of
the
workgroup
drafted
a
revised
Public
Involvement
Policy.
The
Associate
Administrator
for
Policy,
Economics
and
Innovation
released
the
draft
policy
for
public
comment
from
December
2000
through
July
2001.
The
central
feature
of
the
draft
policy
is
a
description
of
the
following
recommended
six
basic
steps
for
conducting
effective
public
involvement:

1.
Plan
and
budget
for
public
involvement
activities
2.
Identify
the
interested
and
affected
public
3.
Consider
providing
technical
or
financial
assistance
to
the
public
to
facilitate
involvement
4.
Provide
information
and
outreach
to
the
public
5
5.
Conduct
public
consultation
and
involvement
activities
6.
Assimilate
information
and
provide
feedback
to
the
public
Coinciding
with
the
release
of
the
draft
policy,
EPA
created
a
new
cross­
agency
workgroup
whose
principal
task
was
to
draft
recommendations
for
implementing
the
policy,
which
would
be
released
when
the
final
policy
was
issued.
The
implementation
workgroup
divided
into
four
task
groups,
with
three
focusing
on
the
implementation
areas
recommended
by
the
1999
policy
review
workgroup,
and
the
fourth
on
developing
recommended
revisions
to
the
draft
policy.
The
draft
implementation
recommendations
in
this
document
are
the
result
of
the
implementation
workgroup's
efforts.

EPA
received
202
public
comments
on
the
draft
Public
Involvement
Policy.
Comments
came
from
26
state
agencies,
12
local
governments,
17
environmental
organizations,
82
citizens,
five
industrial
interests,
five
agricultural
interests,
and
others.
Many
of
the
comments
raise
implementation
concerns
and
recommend
improvement
in
how
EPA
plans
and
conducts
public
meetings,
holds
staff
and
managers
accountable
for
public
involvement,
ensures
that
public
input
influences
EPA's
decisions,
uses
electronic
communication
methods,
and
provides
feedback
to
participants
or
commentors.
EPA
will
analyze
all
the
public
comments,
write
a
Response
to
Comments
document,
and
release
it
with
the
final
Public
Involvement
Policy
in
the
spring
of
2002.

EPA
also
convened
an
online
dialogue
in
July
2001,
"
Online
Dialogue
on
Public
Involvement
in
EPA's
Decisions,"
to
obtain
additional
practical
suggestions
on
implementing
the
policy.
During
the
ten­
day
event,
1,144
people
participated,
providing
considerable
input
on
what
EPA
should
and
should
not
do
to
achieve
effective
public
involvement.
Dialogue
participants
suggested
ways
EPA
could
improve
its
efforts
in:
°
Identifying
members
of
the
public
who
should
be
invited
to
participate
°
Providing
technical
and
financial
assistance
to
assist
the
public's
participation
°
Using
collaborative
processes
or
other
participatory
practices
°
Evaluating
EPA's
public
involvement
activities
and
making
EPA
accountable
°
Conducting
effective
public
involvement
for
local
site­
specific
decisions
°
Providing
outreach
to
the
public
in
ways
that
better
consider
their
needs
°
Making
information
and
documents
more
easily
available
to
the
public
°
Improving
public
involvement
in
permitting
and
rule­
making
°
Working
with
states,
tribes
and
local
governments
The
recommended
implementation
activities
in
this
document
reflect
many
of
the
ideas
received
in
public
comments
on
the
draft
policy
and
from
the
Online
Dialogue.
EPA
will
accept
comments
on
these
draft
implementation
recommendations
for
60
days
following
publication
on
EPA's
web
page
and
notice
in
the
Federal
Register.
After
revision,
these
implementation
recommendations
will
be
issued
along
with
the
Final
Public
Involvement
Policy
in
the
spring
of
2002.
This
recommendations
document
will
be
dynamic,
changing
as
the
Agency
implements
the
policy
and
as
training,
information
sharing
and
evaluation
tools
are
developed,
disseminated
and
used
across
the
Agency.
Updates
will
be
posted
on
the
Agency's
website
at
[
http://
www.
epa.
gov/
stakeholders].
6
3.
Implementation
Recommendations
3.
a.
Training
Component
Purpose
The
draft
Public
Involvement
Policy
states
that
the
Administrator
will:
"
Provide
incentives
to
Agency
personnel
to
ensure
commitment
to
and
competence
in
implementing
this
policy."
It
calls
upon
Assistant
Administrators
and
Associate
Administrators
to:
"
Provide
guidance
and
technical
assistance
and
training
as
appropriate
to
support
authorized
and
delegated
program
activities
of
state,
tribal,
regional
and
local
entities;
and
to
develop
guidance
and
training
needed
to
ensure
that
program
personnel
are
equipped
to
implement
the
policy."
Regional
Administrators
are
charged
to:
"
Ensure
that
Regional
staff
members
are
trained,
and
that
resources
are
allocated
for
public
involvement."
To
fulfill
their
responsibilities,
the
Agency's
leadership
must
understand
the
need
for
and
benefits
of
public
involvement,
and
staff
must
know
how
to
choose
the
appropriate
forms
of
public
involvement,
conduct
these
processes
and
competently
perform
the
six
basic
steps
for
conducting
effective
public
involvement
that
are
outlined
in
the
policy
(
also
listed
on
page
4
of
this
document).

To
achieve
success
in
implementing
the
Public
Involvement
Policy,
EPA
management
and
staff
must
understand
why
public
involvement
is
an
integral
part
of
the
Agency's
business
and
must
have
the
skills,
knowledge,
experience
and
tools
to
conduct
appropriate
public
involvement
processes.
For
example,
the
Superfund
program
sponsors
in­
depth
training
in
public
participation
for
its
community
involvement
coordinators,
and
public
involvement
is
part
of
training
provided
to
rule
writers.
However,
some
programs
approach
training
on
an
ad­
hoc
basis
or
rely
on
training
individuals.
EPA
has
not
encouraged
a
sustained
agency­
wide
effort
to
train
management
and
staff
in
the
elements
and
skills
of
public
involvement
processes.

Actions
To
help
guide
the
Agency's
efforts,
the
Training
Task
Group
has:
°
Developed
matrices
of
public
involvement
training
modules
for
general
staff
and
for
staff
specifically
assigned
to
full­
time
public
involvement
work
°
Collected
a
library
of
public
involvement
training
materials,
agendas
and
outlines
from
within
and
outside
the
government
°
Compiled
an
annotated
bibliography
of
the
most
helpful
of
the
documents
above
°
Begun
identifying
training
courses,
materials
or
sources
for
each
of
the
modules
listed
in
the
Training
Matrix
Recommendations
The
task
group
recommends
that
EPA:

1.
Develop
performance
standards
for
public
participation.
Include
an
appropriate
level
of
proficiency
in
public
involvement
processes
in
position
descriptions
and
performance
standards
for
those
managers
and
staff
involved
in
developing
and
implementing
rules,
policies,
permits,
programs,
innovative
projects
and
compliance
activities.
7
2.
Develop
the
training
matrix
and
course
modules
identification
package
and
distribute
it
to
management
and
staff
for
use
in
development
of
Individual
Development
Plans,
in
hard
copy
and
over
the
Intranet.

3.
Identify
modules
in
the
matrix
that
can
be
enhanced
or
that
have
not
been
developed,
and
sponsor
development
of
appropriate
training
materials
or
courses,
including
on­
line
courses
when
appropriate.

4.
Identify
modules
in
the
matrix
that
already
have
adequate
training
courses
or
materials
available
and
provide
this
information
to
program
office
management,
EPA
Institute,
EPA's
Intranet
site,
and
other
sources
of
training
information
for
EPA
staff
and
management.

5.
Distribute
the
training
matrix
and
list
of
course
modules
to
states,
tribes
and
state
and
tribal
organizations
for
their
use,
and
encourage
partnerships
with
appropriate
EPA
offices
to
conduct
joint
training.
Post
the
information
on
EPA's
web
site.

6.
Conduct
a
study
to
identify
the
training,
resource
materials,
handbooks,
fact
sheets,
bibliographies
etc.
that
could
be
provided
to
outside
parties
such
as
environmental
groups,
citizens
groups,
environmental
justice
groups,
small
businesses,
and
industry
so
that
they
are
better
able
to
participate
effectively
in
public
involvement
activities.

7.
Identify
potential
EPA
trainers
and
conduct
training
across
EPA.
8
3b.
Information
Sharing
Component
Purposes
To
fully
implement
the
Public
Involvement
Policy,
EPA
staff
must
be
knowledgeable
about
effective
techniques
and
tools,
and
share
creative
ideas
for
involving
the
public
in
EPA's
decisions.
The
various
EPA
programs
and
regions
routinely
conduct
public
involvement
activities,
but
their
successes
and
"
lessons
learned"
are
not
shared
for
the
benefit
of
other
programs
and
offices.
A
communications
network
is
needed
for
EPA
staff.

EPA
staff
would
also
benefit
from
the
creation
of
an
electronic
toolkit
that
contains
references
and
descriptions
of
useful
public
involvement
materials,
case
studies
and
resources.
Such
materials
are
often
created
by
individual
EPA
offices
and
programs,
and
by
other
agencies
and
organizations,
but
staff
across
EPA
may
not
be
aware
of
or
have
access
to
them.
Such
a
compilation,
constructed
in
a
format
that
makes
it
easy
to
search
for
and
find
useful
information,
would
assist
EPA
staff
who
are
looking
for
ideas
on
how
to
involve
the
public.

Actions
The
Information
Sharing
Task
Group
has:
°
Conducted
a
survey
to
determine
the
value
of
creating
a
communications
network.
Approximately
200
EPA
staff
responded
to
the
survey.
Survey
results
show
that
68
percent
of
the
respondents
think
that
a
network
is
valuable,
and
up
to
84
percent
might
join
the
network.
The
results
indicated
the
preferred
discussion
topics
for
the
network,
as
well
as
preferred
mechanisms
for
communication.
°
Gathered
materials
and
resources
on
public
involvement
practices,
begun
compiling
summaries
of
this
information,
and
developed
a
prototype
for
a
database
that
could
house
this
information
in
a
format
that
is
accessible
and
useful
to
EPA
staff.

Recommendations
The
task
group
recommends
that
EPA:

1.
Create
a
communications
network
for
EPA
staff
who
interact
with
and
involve
the
public.
This
network
will
help
EPA
staff
to
communicate
with
each
other
to
share
recommended
practices
as
well
as
to
identify
the
constituencies
and
circumstances
where
each
may
be
more
or
less
effective;
provide
information
on
training
and
job
opportunities;
and
seek
and
provide
advice
about
addressing
specific
public
involvement
issues.
Once
successfully
operating
for
at
least
a
year
within
EPA,
the
Agency
may
consider
extending
the
network
to
allow
others
involved
in
public
participation
activities,
such
as
EPA's
regulatory
partners
in
states,
tribes
and
local
governments,
other
federal
agencies,
and
others
involved
in
public
participation
activities
to
join
the
network.

2.
Create
a
searchable
descriptive
compilation
of
resource
materials,
case
studies
and
"
lessons
learned,"
and
periodically
update
it.
The
compilation
would
serve
as
an
electronic
tool
kit,
be
organized
by
specific
category,
and
provide
as
much
additional
information
as
possible
by
supplying
underlying
links
to
descriptions,
web
links
and
9
contact
information.
It
would
include
material
created
by
EPA,
as
well
as
other
federal
agencies,
state,
tribal
and
local
governments,
public
involvement
practitioners
and
other
sources.
The
compilation
will
include
materials
that
showcase
public
involvement
practices
used
for
development
of
rules,
permits,
and
policies,
as
well
as
for
meeting
administrative
requirements
for
consultation
with
tribal
governments,
environmental
justice
communities,
small
businesses,
etc.
This
compilation
at
first
would
be
available
only
to
EPA
employees
through
the
Intranet,
but
eventually
would
be
made
available
to
all
others
through
the
Internet.
10
3c.
Evaluation
and
Accountability
Component
Purposes
To
assess
the
success
in
implementing
the
Public
Involvement
Policy,
EPA
must
have
the
ability
to
track
and
measure
progress
and
to
evaluate
the
effectiveness
of
public
involvement
activities.
The
policy
states
that
the
Administrator
will:
"
evaluate
the
adequacy
of
public
involvement
activities...,
the
appropriateness
and
results
of
public
involvement
expenditures,
and
the
effectiveness
of
this
policy."
The
policy
calls
upon
Assistant,
Associate,
and
Regional
Administrators
to:
"
Evaluate
the
effectiveness
and
appropriateness
of
public
involvement
expenditures
and
activities
under
their
jurisdiction,
revising
and
improving
them
as
necessary."

To
fulfill
their
responsibilities,
the
Agency's
leadership
and
staff
must
have
a
framework
and
tools
to
evaluate
and
measure
how
well
EPA
is
implementing
the
policy's
six
basic
steps
for
conducting
effective
public
involvement
(
listed
on
page
4
of
this
document)
in
both
regulatory
and
non­
regulatory
processes.
Although
individual
programs
and
projects
currently
conduct
evaluations
of
their
public
involvement
activities,
EPA
has
not
encouraged
a
sustained
agencywide
effort
to
determine
the
extent
and
quality
of
such
activities
and
to
improve
their
effectiveness
for
both
participants
and
EPA.

Actions
To
help
guide
the
Agency's
efforts,
the
Evaluation
and
Accountability
Task
Group
has:
°
Proposed
a
five­
year
framework
for
evaluation
°
Researched
current
measures
of
public
involvement
°
Developed
and
internally
distributed
a
survey
to
assist
in
outlining
the
types
of
evaluations
that
would
assist
Agency
practitioners
to
improve
their
activities
°
Contracted
for
a
baseline
survey
to
evaluate
how
the
Agency
is
currently
implementing
its
policy
This
baseline
survey
should
provide
insights
about:
°
Obstacles
to
the
use
of
the
six
basic
steps
for
conducting
effective
public
involvement
(
listed
on
page
4
of
this
document)
°
The
implementers'
perceptions
about
the
quality
and
value
of
the
involvement
efforts
°
The
impact
of
the
involvement
efforts
on
the
quality
of
the
Agency
decision
or
effort
°
How,
if
at
all,
Agency
programs
are
documenting
and
assessing
their
public
involvement
efforts
The
findings
may
provide
Agency
managers
with
helpful
feedback
on
which
aspects
of
public
involvement
work
effectively
and
which
ones
do
not,
which
may
need
more
attention,
and
where
additional
public
involvement
resources
may
need
to
be
allocated.

Recommendations
The
task
group
recommends
that
EPA
adopt
a
five­
year
framework
for
evaluation
to:
11
1.
Establish
minimum
expectations
regarding
public
involvement
practices
and
establish
measures
to
help
staff
and
managers
better
identify
whether
public
involvement
practices
are
performed
appropriately
and
have
the
intended
effects
2.
Develop
and
periodically
use
a
broad­
based
agency­
wide
internal
survey
to
evaluate
how
the
Agency
performs
its
public
involvement
activities,
and
to
determine
if
EPA
is
using
the
Public
Involvement
Policy
to
improve
related
activities
3.
Develop
a
suite
of
tools
that
staff
(
and
other
partners)
can
use
to
evaluate
and
measure
public
involvement
activities
on
a
consistent
basis
4.
Develop
resources
to
support
EPA­
wide
public
involvement
evaluation
activities
Tasks
to
support
the
framework
include:

1.
Establish
Measures
°
Collect
and
share
information
from
public
involvement
practitioners
regarding
current
measures
for
evaluating
the
quality
and
outcomes
of
public
involvement
activities
°
Outline
minimum
expectations
for
public
involvement
practices
and
the
measures
for
tracking
progress
(
quality,
consistency,
impact,
etc.)

2.
Evaluate
Implementation
of
the
Policy
and
Report
Results
°
Establish
a
baseline
for
measuring
future
progress
in
implementing
the
Public
Involvement
Policy
internally
using
a
survey
instrument
enabling
us
to
determine
how
effectively
programs
and
regions
are
carrying
out
the
six
basic
steps
for
conducting
effective
public
involvement
(
listed
on
page
4
of
this
document)
°
Report
baseline
public
involvement
survey
findings
and
make
recommendations
for
improvement
to
the
Administrator,
senior
managers,
programs
and
regions
°
Use
the
evaluation
framework
and
tools
to
measure,
track,
evaluate,
regularly
report
progress,
and
continually
improve
EPA's
implementation
of
its
Public
Involvement
Policy
and
recommended
implementation
activities
°
Critique
the
evaluation
framework
and
processes,
and
report
throughout
EPA
with
recommendations
°
Develop
a
report
describing
how
the
results
of
the
first
survey
are
being
used
and
how
recommendations
for
improvement
are
being
implemented
°
Repeat
the
"
baseline"
internal
survey
to
learn
the
effect
that
implementing
the
policy
is
having
on
the
quality
of
EPA's
public
involvement
practices
°
Report
the
results
with
recommendations
for
improvement
to
the
senior
managers,
programs
and
regions
°
Provide
a
comprehensive
report
to
the
Administrator
on
EPA's
implementation
of
its
Public
Involvement
Policy
with
recommendations
3.
Develop
and
Ensure
Use
of
Evaluation
Tools
°
Establish
a
series
of
survey/
feedback
templates
for
evaluating
processes,
activities
and
events.
°
Develop
an
OMB
approved
Information
Collection
Request
(
ICR)
to
support
gathering
public
involvement
feedback
°
Develop
training
in
the
use
of
the
tools,
measures
and
techniques
12
°
Internally
promote
the
tools,
measures
and
techniques
°
Provide
training
on
using
the
tools,
measures
and
techniques
°
For
internal
use,
establish
a
central
collection
of
evaluation
instruments
that
EPA
programs
and
regions
have
used
to
review
their
public
involvement
efforts.
Collect
copies
of
the
analytical
reports
documenting
improvements
made
based
on
the
feedback.
Provide
contact
information
for
obtaining
raw
data.
Use
the
collection
to
share
lessons
learned
(
possibly
expanding
on
the
information
sharing
compilation/
data
base).

4.
Support
Public
Involvement
Evaluation
Activities
°
Establish
specific
centralized
staff,
budget
and
responsibility
to
support
evaluation
activities
in
programs
and
regions.

EPA
proposes
to
share
the
tools,
experience
and
knowledge
developed
as
we
carry
out
the
evaluation
framework.
The
Agency
hopes
that
state,
tribal
and
local
governments,
as
well
as
other
organizations,
will
find
our
work
useful
and
will
contribute
their
own
tools,
experience
and
knowledge
through
the
mechanisms
for
sharing
information
described
in
Section
3b
of
this
document.