From June 18, 2001
EPA Announces National Dialogue on Public Involvement in Agency Decisions
The public is invited to participate in an online discussion with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and panels of experts on improving public participation in EPA decision-making. The dialogue will run between July 10 - 21, 2001. The participants will discuss specific topics drawn from EPA's newly drafted Public Involvement Policy. People interested in participating can find out more information, register via the internet, and read the draft policy by visiting http://www.network-democracy.org/epa-pip/welcome.shtml.
According to the EPA
website, the Dialogue is asynchronous, unlike a chat room, where a discussion
takes place in real time. This means that your participation is not restricted
to any particular time of day. Such a structure makes it much easier to
accommodate different time zones and busy schedules. A more substantive
discussion can evolve as participants have time to refer to reference
materials, and think about the contributions made by others before contributing
their own thoughts.