Community Involvement Task Force
In April 2004, the Department of Environmental Quality initiated the Community Involvement Task Force to recommend to the DEQ director how the agency could strengthen ways to improve public involvement in DEQ’s environmental activities – by reaching more people; by increasing the public’s understanding of the basis for DEQ’s decisions; by helping the public learn how to work more effectively with DEQ; and by improving how DEQ responds to comments, concerns and suggestions offered by the public. In addition, the task force was asked to propose a community involvement policy for DEQ.
The task force was composed of representatives of major environmental groups and DEQ staff members. The group met between April and October 2004, identifying numerous projects DEQ could undertake to build community involvement. The group also developed a community involvement policy that DEQ Director Robert G. Burnley approved in December 2004.
Though the initial goals of the task force have been met, the group agreed to meet periodically to discuss DEQ’s community involvement efforts and to continue to identify how the public can remain active in environmental decision making.