Evaluating public participation in environmental decision-making: EPA's superfund community involvement program

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Policy
• Program Evaluation

Background:

• The U.S. Government Performance and Results Act mandates federal agencies to set and evaluate program goals.
• The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund program addresses hazardous waste site cleanups.
• Community involvement is a key component of the Superfund program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the EPA's Superfund community involvement program.
• To assess the impact of public participation on hazardous waste cleanup decisions.
• To share lessons learned in evaluating public participation programs.

Main Methods:

• An 8-year ongoing evaluation project.
• Utilized written mail surveys to gather feedback.
• Focused on citizen satisfaction with information, risk understanding, input opportunities, and EPA's response.

Main Results:

• Written mail surveys proved effective and economical for feedback.
• Evaluation results were mixed but indicated a positive correlation.
• Informed and involved community members reported higher satisfaction with the Superfund process and EPA's cleanup efforts.

Conclusions:

• Systematic evaluation provides actionable insights for improving public participation programs.
• Institutional processes are needed to ensure evaluation findings drive program improvements.
• Encouraging environmental managers to integrate evaluation is vital for enhancing public participation.