Public Participation in EPA decisions

 

EPA Seeks Comment on Draft Policy for Public Participation in Agency Decision-Making Processes

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of the draft policy, Achieving Health and Environmental Protection Through EPA’s Meaningful Involvement Policy, that outlines updates on how the Agency will engage with the public and provide meaningful public involvement in all of its programs and regions. This policy is grounded in the acknowledgment that EPA's actions further strengthen health and environmental protections when they are informed by individuals with lived experience.

 

This draft policy updates EPA’s 2003 Public Involvement Policy, and incorporates lessons learned over the past twenty years as it has worked to promote an agency-wide approach to providing meaningful involvement opportunities. EPA will apply the draft policy to all national program and regional actions that may benefit from public input. The draft policy describes 3 steps for meaningful involvement:

 

• Identifying the decision(s) in an EPA action that may be influenced by public input,
• Using the public participation spectrum, and
• Using the public participation model.

 

The draft policy will be available for a 60-day public comment period, ending on January 16, 2024.

 

Tribes may request consultation regarding this policy by January 5, 2024, by visiting EPA’s Tribal Consultation Tracking Opportunities System (TCOTS) website.

 

Comments can be submitted via:

 

• Emailing: MeaningfulInvolvementPolicy@epa.gov;
• Submit the contact us form: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/forms/epas-meaningful-involvement-policy-public-comment-submission 
• The draft policy docket: EPA-HQ-OEJECR-2023-0326 at www.regulations.gov. 

 

Learn more: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/epas-meaningful-involvement-policy

 

Questions: Please contact MeaningfulInvolvementPolicy@epa.gov.

 

The draft policy advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment for meaningful engagement with the people the Federal Government serves. Additionally, it builds on upon President Biden’s Executive Orders 13985, 13990, and 14008 to protect public health and tackle the climate crisis.

 

Background

In 1981, recognizing the requirements for meaningful public engagement in authorizing statutes and executive orders, EPA issued its Public Participation Policy, addressing public participation in decision-making, rulemaking, and program implementation by the Agency and entities carrying out EPA programs. In 2003, the Agency published its updated Public Involvement Policy, resulting from the multi-year effort of the cross-agency “Review of EPA Public Participation Policies” Workgroup established in 1999. EPA had success with hosting regular meetings of a cross-agency community of practice, building a web portal, developing training, publishing a newsletter, documenting case studies, and collecting information on customer satisfaction.

 

Although this document does not create new requirements or mandatory obligations for EPA, the recommendations finalized in the policy will provide the public with meaningful involvement opportunities for program and regional needs. EPA seeks to collaborate with all segments of the public on this policy.

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