West Virginia Code of State Rules › Agency 38 - Mining And Reclamation › Title 38 - LEGISLATIVE RULE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION MINING AND RECLAMATION › Series 38-10 - Office Of Environmental Advocate › Section 38-10-5 - Duties of the Environmental advocate Office

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 28, July 12, 2024
The Environmental Advocate will perform the duties of the
				  position as follows:
5.1. Implement a
				process to evaluate public opinion on the quality and effectiveness of the
				functions of the Division of Environmental Protection. The evaluation process
				should be completed within six (6) months of the date of appointment to office
				and "updated periodically.
5.2.
				Attend open meetings, public hearings, proceedings, and conferences to collect
				and distribute information on a range of environmental issues.
5.3 Systematically become familiar with, and
				acquire a working knowledge of all programmatic functions of the Division of
				Environmental Protection.
5.4.
				Provide advice and assistance to citizens seeking resolution of environmental
				problems. To conserve resources, the Environmental Advocate should concentrate
				on issues that have wide-ranging, state-wide implications, rather than on
				isolated or local issues unless they are of a precedent-setting
				nature.
5.5. Assist the Division of
				Environmental Protection to develop brochures outlining the services of the
				position, as well as other information efforts that are appropriately conducted
				in concert with the Public Information Office or the Director.
5.6. Participate in public service media
				programming on environmental issues.
5.7. Assist citizens with obtaining
				information, interpreting information, and directing citizens to sources of
				technical information.
5.8. Assist
				and advise citizens on how to participate in state agency processes, such as
				public comments on rules, statutory amendments, draft permits etc..
5.9. Write articles for publication by the
				Public Information Office and other print media regarding advocate activities
				or areas of environmental interest.
5.10. Direct citizens to appropriate public
				legal resources such as referral services provided by legal services
				associations.
5.11. Attend
				executive and other agency staff meetings, where appropriate, and share
				information as appropriate.
5.12.
				Cooperate with the Director and the Division of Environmental Protection in
				reaching negotiated settlement of issues in dispute between the Division of
				Environmental Protection and citizens or citizens' groups.
5.13. Develop and submit to the Director an
				annual action plan for the coining year of position operation which contains
				realistically achievable objectives. The first year plan of operation will be
				completed within six (5) months of appointment. Each plan will be revised
				quarterly to accommodate changes in focus arising from public interest or
				programmatic needs.
5.14. Prepare
				an annual statement summarizing the accomplishments of the position to be
				published by the Public Information Office in the Division of Environmental
				Protection's annual report.
5.15.
				The Environmental Advocate will provide the Director with current information
				relating to citizens' environmental concerns. Such information may be of a
				general nature which is important to the State but should primarily be related
				to issues that are precedent setting and having state-wide implications.
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