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PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 96-215

NOTICES

Draft Public Participation Policy

[26 Pa.B. 712]

   The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has proposed a draft public participation policy for comment in an effort to improve public access to information and decision-making in the Department.

   DEP is committing itself to involve the public early and often in the process of developing regulations and policies, to seek a dialog with all sectors of society on its proposals and to recognize the public's right to substantive responses to all comments they submit. The new policy also commits the agency to provide the public with open access to information during the development process in order to build trust between the Department and the public.

   The draft policy describes the specific tools DEP has available to provide opportunities for public participation, including advisory committees, advance notice of proposed rulemaking, notice of proposed rulemaking, advance notice of final rulemaking, public information meetings, public hearings and regulatory negotiation and stakeholder groups. Basic procedures are outlined for establishing public comment periods and how comments are considered and answered after they are received by DEP.

   The policy also commits DEP to publish a regulatory agenda every 6 months to alert the public about regulations it is likely to send to the Environmental Quality Board for action. DEP will also publish an annual Sunset Review Schedule for reviewing regulations to determine whether they still effectively fulfill their original goals.

   Draft and final copies of regulations and guidance are to be provided free of charge to the public. Early notice of draft regulations and policies and public information meetings and hearings will be provided through a variety of channels, including the weekly Environmental Protection Update, the World Wide Web site, local newspaper notices and other channels.

   A copy of the new draft public participation policy is available from Barbara Sexton, DEP Regulatory Coordinator, P. O. Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2063; telephone (717) 783-1303; fax (717) 783-8470; or e-mail Sexton.Barbara@a1.dep.state.pa.us. A copy is also posted on the DEP World Wide Web site at http://www.dep.state.pa.us (choose Public Participation Center/Advisory Committees/Citizens Advisory Council/DEP Adopts Principles).

JAMES M. SEIF,   
Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 96-215. Filed for public inspection February 16, 1996, 9:00 a.m.]


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