Don't
Leave It All
To The Experts
THE CITIZEN'S ROLE IN ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION MAKING
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) believes
that public participation in environmental decision making
is a must if we are to have an environment fit for people.
EPA also believes that public participation is most
effective when concerned individuals combine and
coordinate their efforts into environmental action through
voluntary citizen organizations.
This EPA booklet is designed to stimulate environmental
action by citizen groups. It is a general guide. It contains
some principles and suggestions for productive organized
action. It discusses the unique role of citizen groups in the ..
struggle to achieve a better environment and how to
capitalize on that role. It does not dwell on what you as an
individual can do about any specific environmental
problem, but rather it describes some of the fundamentals,
tools and techniques of organized citizen environmental
action. Instead of telling you what pesticides or detergents
to use or how to conserve water or electricity, this booklet
seeks to show you how concerned citizens working in
concert can contribute to environmental quality. In sum,
what citizen organizations can do about the environment
if they don't want to leave it all to the "experts," is what
this booklet is all about.
The Weight of Public Opinion
"Unquestionably, the public must not only be
allowed to participate in environmental decision
making, it should be encouraged to do so. Often the
sheer weight of public opinion is sufficient to force
corrections without any need for legal action."
—EPA Administrator William D. Ruckelshaus
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U.S Environmental Protection Agency
Region V, Library
230 Soirth Dearborn Street
Chicago, Illinois 60604
The New Revolution
Get Informed
Know The Law
Pick Your Targets Carefully
Yes, Lobbying
Fight For Funds
Telling Your Story
Know Your Rights
Some Final Words
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We are experiencing a new American Revolution. It is a
revolution generated by the unwanted fruits of environ-
mental laissez-faire—dirty air, polluted water and
degraded land. It is a revolution of aroused citizens,
concerned about the quality of our environment, demand-
ing action by government and industry and taking action
themselves.
Thousands of private citizens, individually and more often
through voluntary organizations, are working for water
pollution control, for cleaner air, for noise control, for
better solid waste management, for conservation of natural
areas, for wildlife preservation, for population control, for
transportation reform, for pesticides control, for sound
resource management, for rational planning and zoning,
for growth that's compatible with nature. In essence, they
are working for environmental quality.
Citizen concern and citizen action have already spurred
enactment of environmental protection legislation at all
levels of government. Citizen organizations are working to
see that this legislation is implemented. These organiza-
tions also will most certainly be in the forefront of
campaigns to enact new laws to further protect and enhance
the environment.
EPA welcomes this public participation, for informed,
responsible citizen groups are an essential and potent force
for movement towards environmental improvement.
Citizen organizations are uniquely qualified. They are
independent of both government and industry. They can
objectively evaluate the performance of both government
and industry. They can focus public attention on what is
and what is not being done. They articulate the public's
desire for a better environment, they attract press attention
which, in turn, helps nurture the climate of public opinion
necessary for action. They have power.
Law enforcement cannot be effective without popular
support, cooperation and involvement. This is especially
true in the area of pollution, which often requires changes
in attitudes and values in order to break the pattern of
business and pollution as usual. With their healthy
skepticism, organized citizen groups have already demon-
strated their great capacity to prod and stir government
and industry to action.
Government and industry have clear environmental
responsibilities, of course. The purpose of effective citizen
action is not to subvert those responsibilities but to make
sure they are honored. Government and industry have the
"experts" on their sides. But citizen organizations often
have their own expertise to contribute to environmental
decision making.
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•<*
Moreover, while environmental decision making must be
based on the best available scientific and technological
information, value judgments—social decisions—are
ultimately required. And these social decisions must reflect
the public will, for the environment belongs to the public,
not just to the "experts" in the government agency or
industry immediately involved in a particular decision.
When risks must be measured against benefits, when
economic and environmental values must be weighed and
balanced, the public has the right and the obligation to
make its views known.
Organized citizen groups are the mechanisms through
which public opinion is best applied to environmental
decision making. They magnify and concentrate the views
of like-minded individuals. They give new meaning to the
concept of participatory democracy.
As the Federal agency charged by law to enforce the
pollution control legislation enacted by Congress, EPA
encourages input and involvement—yes, and even the
prodding and constructive criticism—of citizen organiza-
tions. And to make this process as productive as possible
—to achieve and maintain environmental and ecological
health—EPA has prepared this guide for responsible and
effective citizen action.
This booklet is designed for groups already organized and
active in pursuit of a better environment. Indeed, the
suggestions herein have been distilled from the experiences
of many of these organizations. Some citizen organizations
may find this booklet too elementary; if so, it can serve
as a checklist against which to measure their existing
activities.
Other citizen groups may find this is not elementary
enough; they may want more basic information on how to
organize for action on the environmental front. Such
groups should consult the many available manuals; some
are listed on page 18.
But whether novice or veteran, citizen groups are critically
important elements in the latest American Revolution.
They and they alone have the dedication, drive and
independence to undertake and carry on three fundamental
missions in pursuit of a better environment:
1.
to ensure that there are adequate environmental protection
laws—at the community, State and federal levels—and
that there are adequate appropriations and staff to carry
out those laws;
2.
to support, encourage and stimulate control agencies and
polluters to move steadily and speedily toward compliance
with environmental laws and regulations;
3.
to keep the public informed, on a continuing basis, of the
success—or failure—of environmental protection programs
and on what still remains to be done.
If you are a member of a citizen organization concerned
about the environment, what can your group do to carry
out these missions?
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Your group's first responsibility is to get informed. If it
hasn't already done so, your group should obtain certain
basic information:
G your community's, your State's and the Federal
government's environmental laws and regulations
n how your local and State governments work in the
environmental arena. For instance: Who runs the
environmental protection and pollution control agencies?
How are policies and decisions made? What are the roles
and responsibilities of your governor, your county
executive, your mayor? Which committees in your State
legislature, and city or county councils make the key
decisions on environmental laws and funds to implement
those laws? Who are the members of these committees and
the key staff members? If your State and local governments
have environmental control boards or commissions, who is
on them, how do they get there, do they serve full-time
or part-time, what interests do they represent? Where are
the pressure points in the environmental decision making
process? What environmental responsibilities does your
local government have? Your State government?
Q] EPA's responsibilities in the environmental field,
especially as they affect environmental problems in your
community and state
Q your community's and your State's environmental
problems—including major sources of pollution—and
what's being done about these problems. For instance:
are sources of air and water pollution on clean-up
schedules? what about sewage treatment? how is solid
waste handled from collection through disposal? what
about noise? water supply?
n your State and local control agencies' budgets—and
needs
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Once your group has this basic information—and the best
sources are State and local agencies—the next step is to
evaluate it.
Your group should use its own "experts"—scientists,
physicians, engineers, lawyers, technicians, etc.—from
within its membership and in the community. Seek the
assistance of experts at colleges and universities, in medical,
engineering and other professional societies, in business
and industry.
The control agencies themselves can often help you
understand and evaluate the legal, scientific and technical
nature of pollution problems, so if your group hasn't
already done so, get to know the director and staff
members. You need their help and cooperation, and the
agencies need your support and encouragement.
Your group should also get to know the EPA staff in your
area. EPA has 10 regional offices (see page 20) and many
field offices, manned by a knowledgeable staff with a wide
range of specialties, who can be of great help to you.
Keep in mind that meaningful action for environmental
improvement must be based on sound information.
Pollution control requires research, monitoring, setting
standards and enforcing those standards. Pollution control
requires knowledge of existing abatement technology,
application of that technology and development of new and
improved technology. To be effective, a citizen organization
must be credible. It must know what it's talking about.
It must know how to discriminate between accurate and
inaccurate information. It must not accept as gospel
whatever uninformed individuals, no matter how well-
meaning, might say.
Get the facts. Check your sources. If in doubt, seek outside
guidance. This is essential to protect your own credibility
and to check the credibility of others. For instance, if a
polluter claims that the technology does not yet exist to
deal with his particular problem, or that it's too costly to
install, check it. Citizen groups have sometimes been able
to refute such claims—and educate the polluters as well
as the public.
Do your State and local control agencies have adequate
powers to enforce pollution controls? Are they using those
powers? Do your control agencies require reasonable but
clear timetables for action? Where Federal standards have
been set—as in air and water pollution—but primary
enforcement is left to State and local governments, are
local, State and Federal requirements being met? Are
variances from pollution control regulations permitted?
Under what conditions? Do pollution control laws, regula-
tions and procedures provide for public hearings, with
reasonable notice, on standards, rules, variances, permits,
etc.?
Your citizen group should be as familiar with these laws
and regulations as the control agencies and polluters are.
Without this information, you cannot determine what can
be done, what must be done and what new laws might be
needed. Your group's objective should be to see that your
control agencies have adequate legal powers and that
they use them.
To Sue Or Not To Sue?
When all else fails, citizen groups often carry their
environmental struggles to the courts. Citizen law
suits should not be undertaken lightly, however. They
can be expensive and time-consuming. And
environmental law suits should never be undertaken
without competent, experienced attorneys. For advice
as to the names of lawyers in your vicinity who
specialize in environmental law, consult the Natural
Resources Defense Council, Inc., a public interest
law firm, at 36 W. 44 St., New York, N.Y. 10036, or
the Environmental Defense Fund, an organization of
lawyers and scientists, at 162 Old Town Road, East
Setauket, N.Y. 11733.
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Citizen organizations usually spring into existence as a
public reaction to an environmental problem. They are
against the dirty air shrouding their community and
endangering their health. They are against the deterioration
of area streams or lakes. They are against the ugly, disease-
breeding dumps degrading their community. They are
against the rising noise levels afflicting most urban areas.
They are against the filling and development of a shoreline
or coastal area. They are against a combination of these
and other environmental insults.
There's nothing wrong with being against something.
That's how the first American Revolution began, as a
matter of fact. But being against isn't enough. It's only the
starting point for action.
To be effective, citizen groups must convert this initial
"anti" motivation into well-conceived, positive action
programs. They should carefully assess an environmental
problem and identify its roots. They should pick their
targets carefully and give priority to the major causes of
the environmental problem they want solved. They should
try to determine in advance what efforts will be
truly worthwhile in terms of environmental improvement
in their community. (And also worth the expenditure of
their usually limited financial and staff resources.)
Two fundamentals for action are, of course, adequate
environmental protection laws and funds to implement
them, as noted earlier. But beyond these basics, how can
your group bring its power to bear most fruitfully? What
else should you focus upon?
The potential targets are as varied as your community's
environmental problems. But again, be selective.
If water pollution is your group's target, for instance, what
are the major sources of discharges in your community?
Are they from municipal sewage or industrial plants or
runoff from farmland or from a Federal facility? Attack
those major problems. Don't waste your impact with
campaigns against colored toilet paper or kitchen garbage
disposals.
If solid waste is your target, what are the problems? Is it
inefficient and infrequent collections, open dumping or
burning instead of sanitary landfilling or recycling or
converting solid wastes into energy by burning them to
generate electricity?
Is recycling feasible in your community? Is energy
recovery feasible? Get the facts. Find out what other
communities are doing. If your community still uses archaic
and disease-breeding open dumps, do you work to screen
them from public view or do you try to shut them
down and replace them with sanitary landfills or recycling
and energy recovery programs?
If air pollution is your target, what are the major sources?
Power plants? Factories? Automobiles? Incinerators?
Again, concentrate on the major sources. Don't waste your
time with campaigns against backyard barbecues.
If the automobile is the prime villain, as it is in many
urban areas, do you stage a demonstration and bury a car?
Do you work to develop and stimulate the use of mass
transit, to keep cars out of downtown areas, to change
traffic patterns—to make transportation part of your
communiy's total planning program? And do you try to
have your State initiate and enforce an automobile emission
control inspection program?
If power plants are polluting your air and water, do you
campaign against electric toothbrushes, carving knives and
other gadgets which use a minute amount of electricity?
Or do you work to see that the power plants install the best
available pollution control equipment? Do you work to see
that building codes require better insulated homes and
offices to reduce the amount of energy needed to heat or
cool them? Do you argue that office buildings should be
designed as they once were with windows that open and
close to take advantage of n'atural ventilation and which
would eliminate the need for artificial climate control 24
hours a day, 365 days a year?
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This is not to minimize the cumulative, positive impact
which many isolated and individually small efforts at
pollution control and environmental improvement can
achieve. Many of these individual efforts reflect a desire to
do something about the environment. They are symbolic
of the value changes which have accompanied our growing
awareness of the dimensions of our environmental prob-
lems. The renewed emphasis on conserving water, energy
and other resources is obviously desirable. But water
conservation, for example, begins not with putting a brick
or rock in the toilet tank, but with keeping water as clean
as possible in the first place by controlling industrial and
municipal sewage discharges and other sources of pollution,
so the water can be used and reused over and over again.
Keep this key question in mind in deciding on priorities:
What objectives, if achieved, will most benefit your
community's environment?
And also keep in mind the interrelated nature of environ-
mental problems. When a community bans open burning
of leaves, for instance, it eliminates one seasonal source of
air pollution. But if the leaves are not collected and
properly disposed of, the community has swapped one
environmental problem for another. And if the use of
kitchen garbage disposals is discouraged, is the community
equipped to collect and properly dispose of food wastes?
Is the community's sewage treatment plant better able to
handle ground-up food, or should food wastes be left to
the community's garbage collection system?
What's best for public and environmental health?
Lobbying is as American as apple pie. Quite simply,
lobbying means influencing legislators for or against
something. It is an informational and educational activity.
It is a technique used by individuals and organizations to
inform legislators of their views on pending bills. It helps
lawmakers acquire information and gauge the degree of
public support or opposition to a proposed law.
The term "lobbying" comes from the practice of talking to
legislators in the lobby outside their legislative chamber.
But sophisticated lobbying goes far beyond merely dis-
cussing the pros and cons of a particular piece of legisla-
tion with a lawmaker in the lobby of your city or county
council building or outside your State legislative or
Congressional offices.
Many citizen groups have already demonstrated their great
capacity to influence legislators on environmental issues.
Indeed, the many environmental protection laws enacted
in recent years at all levels of government are clear
evidence of this.
A wealth of literature is available on how, and how not, to
lobby. No matter how experienced your group might be in
lobbying, you will find it worthwhile to review some of
the available publications, especially The Sierra Club
Political Handbook, available from the Sierra Club,
1050 Mills Tower, San Francisco, Calif. 94104.
A note of caution: while lobbying is a form of free speech,
Congress and some State legislatures have passed laws
requiring lobbyists to register, file reports, etc. under
certain conditions. Be sure your organization meets all
legal requirements if it engages in lobbying. Also, the
Internal Revenue Code places certain restrictions on
lobbying by some tax-exempt organizations. Check those
too, as well as any applicable State and local laws.
Even if your group is legally unable to lobby in its own
name, remember that there are no restrictions on what
individuals can do. A variety of informational and educa-
tional activities, short of formal lobbying, can help create
a favorable climate of public opinion for needed legislation.
In fact, action-oriented public information and education
is the name of tfye game for citizen environmental
organizations.
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How much money and staff do your State and local control
agencies have to work with? How much do they need?
The control agencies themselves are usually only too happy
to provide this information.
One of your fundamental missions should be to use your
influence to see that the State and local governments
provide adequate funds and staff to enable the control
agencies to do their jobs. This means making sure that
appropriations for the agencies get high priority in your
State legislature and in your city or county councils. This
means making sure that your governor and local govern-
ment executive release the funds for agency use. This
means making sure that your state complies with Federal
requirements so that it can get its full share of the money
which EPA grants to State and local control agencies to
help them carry on their programs. This means making
sure that your control agencies establish high enough
salary levels to attract and keep qualified personnel.
The best written laws and regulations are useless if money
and staff to enforce them are not available. To assure
adequate funds and staff for your control agencies, your
citizen group should use every possible technique to
communicate these needs to your members, the general
public and the appropriate legislative bodies. You may
even have to lobby—for funds as well as for other
environmental objectives.
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Telling your group's story is crucial. Whatever your
programs and objectives, they can be achieved only with
effective communications. Is your group serving as a
"watchdog" of local government and its pollution control
programs and of private organizations and industry? Are
you supporting, prodding, stimulating pollution control
agencies? Are you seeking to promote rational community
planning and orderly growth? Are you supporting and
promoting private environmental improvement programs?
Whatever you're up to, your members and the general
public have to be informed. You have to deliver your
knowledge and information to the public to generate
support. The public must be able to look to your group for
objective, independent analysis of what government and
industry are, or are not doing. Your group has to distill the
technical and scientific into language that's meaningful to
the public. Your group has to sound the alert when
necessary. At times, your group has to say things that
control agency officials are not free to say publicly.
Many techniques and tactics are available to get your
message across to the public and your group undoubtedly
uses some if not all of them. For instance:
Citizen groups publish newsletters, fact sheets, brochures,
etc. on environmental issues. They issue press releases and
hold press conferences. They hold public meetings,
membership meetings, seminars, workshops, conferences.
They use "name" speakers and films to enliven their
meetings. They reach out into the community by sending
speakers to meetings held by other organizations—civic,
church, social, professional, labor, PTA and other groups.
They sponsor teach-ins and tours of environmental trouble
spots. They send letters to the press and to public officials.
they stimulate letter writing by individuals on key legisla-
tive and administrative decisions. They testify at public
hearings held by control agencies and legislative bodies.
They lobby. They provide resource material to sympathetic
legislators. They give awards—sometimes in recognition of
positive environmental achievements, sometimes to focus
attention on "polluters of the month." To dramatize
environmental problems, they sponsor demonstrations,
organize peaceful picketing, hold mock trials or use other
tactics to attract public and press attention. They involve
other organizations in coalitions to demonstrate the widest
possible support for specific legislative or administrative
goals.
Many citizen groups use the talents and skills of their
members who are experienced public relations practi-
tioners. And sometimes it's possible to obtain professional
help at little or no cost from sympathetic friends at public
relations firms, advertising agencies or even the public
relations offices of industrial firms.
Basically, citizen groups have to reach out to the com-
munications media in their communities if they are to
extend their public impact beyond the limits of their
usually modest memberships and financial resources.
Newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations, news
services—"the press"—are of inestimable assistance to
citizen groups. The press is generally sympathetic to the
environmental cause, as most people are. And the press
can do something about it. It can use its editorial columns
to support worthwhile programs, proposals and legislation
and to oppose those that are not. It can cover significant
environmental developments in its news columns. The
press, in sum, can help citizen groups tell the
environmental story.
Citizen groups, in turn, can help the press and their own
cause. Some guidelines on how to do this:
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The press is in the news business. The environment is
news. Responsible citizen organizations in the environ-
mental field should and can be part of this news beat. If
your group is not already known to the local press,
consider these approaches:
1. Get to know the press. Make an appointment to see the
editor, managing editor or city editor of your newspaper
and the news director of your local television and radio
stations. If you have any community leaders or other
well-known individuals in your membership ranks, try to
have one or two of them accompany you on the visit.
Tell the press about your organization's objectives,
programs and membership. Explain how you might be able
to help them from time to time—by interpreting the
technical and scientific jargon of pollution control into lay
language, by evaluating the success or failure of pollution
control plans, by alerting them when key environmental
decisions are forthcoming, by giving them newsworthy
tips, etc.
Ask if there's a particular editor or reporter you should
contact when you have a potential news story. Give them
the name and telephone number of the person in your
organization whom they can contact.
Ask for editorial support as well as coverage in news
columns. Leave them with a brief (preferably one-page
typewritten) description of your organization and its
programs and add them to the mailing list for your
newsletter, magazine, etc.
There's no substitute for this initial personal contact. It
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gives you and the press an opportunity to get to know each
other. It gives you the opportunity to establish your
credibility.
2. Maintain your credibility. This is vital for continuing good
relations with the press. Your group must be responsible,
responsive and knowledgeable in dealing with the press at
all times. Don't make statements or accusations you
cannot support. Don't be evasive. If you don't know the
answer to a question, say so—and offer to get it and call
back. Then do so, with the answer or with a frank state-
ment that you don't know or couldn't get the answer. Don't
guess. Don't speculate. If you're telling the press something
off the record, make it clear that you don't want to be
quoted. But don't use the off-the-record cover to peddle
false or inaccurate information.
3. Learn press deadlines. Don't call them at deadline time
unless you've got a truly "hot" item. Time your press
releases to meet their deadlines.
4. In your press releases and conversations with the press,
avoid the jargon of pollution control. Unless the reporter
covers the environment full-time, chances are you know
more about the subject than he does. Be helpful by talking
and writing plainly.
5. Don't issue press releases or hold news conferences unless
you really have something to say. If you hold a press
conference, have a release and background material
available and give the press a chance to go over it before
the conference begins. Don't waste the press's time by
simply rehashing the press release in your oral presentation.
Allow plenty of time for questions. If you really have
nothing to add to the release, or if the subject doesn't lend
itself to questioning, you shouldn't hold a press conference.
And don't schedule press conferences at deadline times
or in competition with other local major news develop-
ments.
6. Don't tell the press what to print or broadcast; that is their
business and their decision. And don't expect the press
to print or broadcast every word in your press releases.
Settle for a part of the story.
7. When you issue a press release, deliver it personally if at
all possible. If you have to mail it, call and alert the press
that a release is in the mail and brief them on the content.
Don't try to read the release to them unless they ask you to.
Whenever possible, get the release to the press at least
one or two days before the release date. (This will not be
possible under certain circumstances, of course—such as a
statement from your group in response to a control agency
action, a polluter's action, a legislative action, etc.)
8. If an officer of your organization is making a speech
somewhere, send a copy to the press at least a day or two
before, with a press release or cover note. Mark the release
and the speech for release at the time and date it will be
given.
9. Don't argue with the press. If you think you have a
grievance, discuss it with them privately and rationally.
Don't attack the press. If you have an honest disagreement
on a public policy, or an editorial opinion they've
expressed, present your views in a letter to the newspaper
editor. If it's a radio or television station, ask for an
opportunity to reply through a taped editorial comment,
broadcasting's version of the letter to the editor.
10. Be sure of your facts. If you mislead the press, you can
destroy your credibility and public acceptance. And
consequently, your ability to influence public opinion,
government and industry.
11. Be resourceful. Look for opportunities for your organiza-
tion and its programs to become part of local news events,
not necessarily centered on the enviroment and thereby
receive valuable visibility.
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12
Citizen organizations should look to the broadcast media
for more than just news and editorial coverage, for these
powerful forces of public information present other
opportunities for spreading the environmental message
such as through a good local feature story.
Under the "fairness doctrine," the Federal Communica-
tions Commission requires radio and television stations to
air both sides of controversial public issues. Environmental
advocates should keep this in mind, for they may be able
to obtain broadcast time to rebut a program or commercial
that doesn't present both sides of an environmental issue.
(For further information on the fairness doctrine, write
the Citizens Communications Center, 1812 N St. N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20036.)
Advertising itself is being scrutinized by the Federal Trade
Commission which has announced that it intends to make
advertisers document claims that a product is "better,"
"improved," "cleaner" or "ecologically sound."
Many cities have at least one "all news" radio station.
Using news service material and their own staffs of
reporters and editors, these stations broadcast only news
(and commercials, of course). News items are often
repeated fairly frequently, depending on each station's
own newsgathering resources. These stations should not be
overlooked, for their heavy demand for news makes them
likely to want to know what newsworthy groups are doing.
They may be interested in feature items. If there's an "all
news" station in your community, contact the program
director. Offer to help keep him up to date on the
environmental scene. Suggest features—such as periodic
reports on the community's environmental quality, what
major sources of pollution are doing to clean up, what
control agencies are doing, what special groups such as
youngsters are doing, etc.
Another possible approach for citizen organizations to use
is public service time. The FCC requires commercial
radio and television stations to make available a certain
amount of free time to community organizations and
causes. This can range from airing short spots at commer-
cial breaks extolling worthwhile objectives, such as
"support clean air week" or "don't be a Jitterbug," to
programs devoted to community problems and community
organizations. Contact local broadcasters and find out if
and how you can get public service time.
Public (or educational) radio and television stations
should also be contacted. They devote considerable time to
community problems and programs. They seek to explore
community problems and to provide a forum for com-
munity organizations. The state of your community's
environmental health and what's being done to improve it
might be the kind of subject they would like to cover,
occasionally or perhaps even as a monthly public report,
or even as a daily "progress" report.
Still another broadcast resource that should be tapped is
the college and university radio station. Student broad-
casters are often quite sympathetic to environmental
improvement and should be involved in your projects.
But how do you get on radio or television? Try the direct
approach. With a few definite program ideas in mind, visit
the station manager or program director at the
commercial, public and college radio and television stations
in your community. Discuss your ideas. Ask about public
service time.
If the answer is yes, what do you do then? How do you go
about putting together a suitable show? The radio or
television station may provide assistance. But your group
should keep these ideas in mind in the event you find
yourself with a block of public service time to fill:
1. The public already knows there are environmental
problems. Simply "viewing with alarm" is no longer
newsworthy or informative or educational. The public is
interested in action. So is your group; that's why you exist.
So zero in on specifics. Here are some examples: Have
cleanup deadlines been set for the major pollution sources
in your community? If yes, are the deadlines being met?
If not, why not? What are the prospects for a cleaner
environment in your community? What are the obstacles?
What can and should be done about them? What can the
public do to help?
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2. The program should be a balanced presentation of what-
ever environmental problem or problems you're discussing.
Your organization might host the broadcast. But you
should include spokesmen for the control agency and the
polluters. This will help expose the audience to all points of
view—and will help you to establish yourselves as a
responsible, respected organization.
3. The program should give the audience a chance to
participate. Provide time for questions from the audience
(if the program is live), or for people to call in and ask
questions, or both.
4. The program should be as concise and as entertaining as
possible. Avoid long speeches, monologues, "lectures" and
formal debates if you want to avoid losing your audience.
13
5. The program should attempt to suggest specific things
that people can do to help the cause of a better local
environment. For example: give them a telephone number
to call (your group's or the control agency's) if they see
a suspected violation of an environmental law. Give them
the time and place of important public hearings. Give them
names and addresses of public officials to write to on
pending environmental decisions, bills, appropriations, etc.
If you're discussing air pollution, have a physician to
explain what health precautions people should take in the
event of an air pollution episode.
6. While you might consider the program your show, the
station is responsible for what is aired. Make suggestions,
of course. But respect the management's rights and
professional experience.
7. If it's a television program, try to provide visual material—
films and still photographs—or help the station find
suitable locations if it prefers to shoot its own film. Try to
reach the viewer through both sight and sound.
8. The program should relate environmental pollution
problems to people. Without scaring them into a sense of
futility and hopelessness, try to dramatize the affects
of pollution on health, on recreation, on the economy, on
the quality of life, etc. And try to give a feeling that things
can be done. Others have succeeded, why not here?
9. The program should be credible. Participants should know
what they're talking about. If someone doesn't know the
answer to a question, there should be no "fudging."
10. Your group should make use of the expertise of other
citizen groups in various specialties. Your group may be
concerned primarily with water pollution or solid wastes.
Other organizations may be the experts on transportation
or open space and recreation or noise. Involving other
citizen groups can broaden your group's appeal and widen
the base of your support.
These few guidelines only skim the surface. The possi-
bilities of using radio and television are limited only by the
imagination of those who plan and put on the program.
As many citizen organizations do, your group should seek
all possible assistance from members—or sympathetic
outsiders—who are professional communicators.
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Public hearings give citizen groups still another opportunity
to communicate with the public, or publics, for your
objectives should be two-fold. First, to get your views
before the control agency or legislative body holding the
hearing. Second, to get your views to the general public
through the press. Here are a few suggestions to help you
get maximum benefits from a public hearing.
Before the Hearing
1. Duplicate copies of your prepared typewritten (double-
spaced) statement. Print on only one side of the paper.
2. Prepare an advance press release. Again, use only one
side of each sheet of paper. Get the release and a copy of
your full statement to the press the day before the hearing.
Be sure both the release and the statement are marked
"Advance Copy—Not for Release Until. . ." (Insert date
and time, a.m. or p.m., when you expect to present the
statement).
3. If possible, deliver the release and the statement personally
to your press contacts. If you can't, call and tell them the
release and statement are on the way. Don't waste the
reporter's time by trying to discuss or read the release
or statement to him on the phone—unless he asks you to.
This advance work serves several purposes: it reminds the
press that the hearing is coming up; it shows your press
contacts that you've thought of them—even though they
know you want coverage, and if they cannot cover
the hearing themselves, at least they have your statement.
At the Hearing
1. Have enough copies of your prepared statement for each
member of the committee or board or commission
conducting the hearing, plus some extras for their files
and have copies for the press too, along with your press
release.
2. When you're called to testify, be brief, no more than four
or five minutes, but request that your full statement be
included in the hearing record.
3. Begin with your name, address, title or group affiliation,
and cite other groups, if any, which support your position
and have asked you to say so.
4. Tell why you support—or oppose—the subject under
consideration. Give facts to back up your position. Don't
make charges or accusations you cannot prove.
5. If appropriate, explain how the public interest is affected
by the issue, who will benefit and how much it will
cost, etc.
6. If you have several speakers, avoid repetition unless special
emphasis is desired. Have each cover a different point or
approach the problem from a different aspect.
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15
7. Speak clearly—loudly enough to be heard, slowly enough
to be understood, but quickly enough to hold attention.
8. Be prepared to answer questions—to explain your position,
to explain the nature of your group, how your group's
position was reached (executive board vote, membership
meeting, mail referendum, etc.) - If you don't know the
answer to a question, say so. Don't bluff. Offer to get the
answer and send it in for the record. On rare occasions,
a committee member may be hostile and may attempt to
rattle, confuse, irritate or intimidate you. Don't let
yourself get confused, angry or nasty.
9. Try to have many supporters attend the hearing even
though they will not testify. Casually mention their
presence in the audience in your opening remarks. Some
call this "packing a hearing." Others call it "showing
strength and support." Numbers reinforce your stand. An
indication of broad support can sway legislators as well as
public opinion.
10. Listen carefully to other statements presented, especially
by the opposition. Make note of factual errors or new
ideas or proposals, for you may be asked to comment on
what other witnesses say. If so, don't attack the opposition
or make personal remarks.
11. Respect the right of others to disagree with you. Do not
applaud or show disapproval of any speaker.
12. If you have written statements of community leaders, other
organizations, etc. who support your position but could
not attend the hearing, ask that the statements be included
in the record.
13. Thank the committee or board or commission for giving
you the opportunity to testify.
After the Hearing
1. Promptly prepare and submit answers to any questions
you were asked but could not answer at the
hearing. If you think any comments made by the
opposition were factually incorrect or need rebuttal,
prepare and submit a supplementary statement for the
record. But don't rehash what was said in your original
statement.
2. If your press contacts wrote or broadcast stories contain-
ing your views, call them, congratulate them on their good
reporting and thank them for the coverage.
3. Don't complain to the press if your views weren't included
in their coverage, or if you think the coverage was bad,
or if you think you were misquoted.
4. A few days after the hearing, consider sending a letter to
the editor for publication, referring to the hearing and
try to point out what, if anything, the public should
then do to help.
5. Inform your own members on what happened at the
hearing through your organization's newsletter, or a special
letter to all members and copies of press clippings, if any.
Note: Whether your group testifies or not, it should
monitor all public hearings on local environmental issues.
You might suggest to your control agencies and city or
county councils that public hearings be held in the evening
or on weekends to give more people an opportunity to
attend. If possible, your group should also try to monitor
public hearings on major environmental proposals in
the state capital.
Don't ignore administrative proceedings, rule-making
hearings, etc. Your group should obtain copies of proposed
rules and regulations, as well as proposed laws. Study
them. Then make your views known by testifying at the
hearing or by submitting a written statement before the
deadline for comments.
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16
State and federal laws give citizens a variety of tools to use
in pursuit of environmental quality. These include the
right of the public to have access to government informa-
tion and the right to take court action.
Pollution control agencies have a great deal of information
on sources of pollution, their discharges, air and water
quality monitoring data, permit applications submitted by
dischargers, permits and variances issued by the agencies,
pollution control plans, compliance schedules, etc.
Under some Federal environmental protection laws, States
are required to submit periodic reports to EPA.
Most, if not all, of this material is public information.
Obtain it and use it—it is an invaluable lode to be mined
by citizen groups. It will give you the facts and figures
you need to determine the status of pollution control,
timetables for action and the progress—or lack of it—of
enforcement.
EPA itself attempts to comply fully not only with the
letter,but with the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act
passed by Congress in 1966. EPA operates on the basic
assumption that the public has a right to know what
public agencies are doing,and that information in EPA
files is public property. This applies to all information in
EPA's possession except if a law specifically forbids
disclosure of a document.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, all Federal
agencies must make available any record or document
properly requested by the public. If a Federal agency does
not do so, the person requesting the information has the
right to bring suit in Federal court to compel compliance.
(The Washington Institute for Quality Education, 300 M
St. S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024, has published a guide
to the Freedom of Information Act; price, $3.75.)
Many states have similar laws. Your group should know
and exercise your legal rights to information on the
State and Federal levels.
The public also has a right to the environmental impact
statements which Federal agencies are required to prepare
under the National Environmental Policy Act, on any
proposed Federal action which might significantly affect
the environment. Your group should obtain, study and
comment on, if necessary, Federal environmental impact
statements on proposed projects in your community
or area. Several states are considering similar legislation.
(The Council on Environmental Quality publishes a
monthly list of environmental impact statements filed with
it in the "102 Monitor," available by subscription for
$6.50 a year from the Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C. 20402. The Council also publishes a
list of the impact statements it receives in the
Federal Register, available by subscription for $25 a year.
The Federal Register is also available in many public
libraries.)
Individuals have long had the right to file suit under
nuisance laws for damages to health and property caused
by a polluter. But recent laws give citizens new and more
potent legal rights.
The Federal Clean Air Act, for example, gives anyone the
right to file suit against violators of certain provisions
of that law, including the EPA Administrator if he fails to
do what the law requires. Similar provisions for citizen
court suits are contained in other environmental legislation
pending in Congress.
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Also, court interpretations of the National Environmental
Policy Act, the Department of Transportation Act, the
Federal Highway Act and other Federal laws have estab-
lished the right of citizens to file suit against Federal
agencies under certain conditions if they fail to meet
the requirements of those laws.
Moreover, some states, Michigan is one, have enacted laws
giving citizens broad rights to file suit to stop any action,
by government or corporations or individuals, that harms
the environment.
The possibility of a citizen court suit can often stimulate
government at all levels as well as polluters to comply
with environmental laws and regulations. Your citizen
group should, therefore, know what legal avenues are
available under local, State and Federal statutes to assure
compliance with environmental laws.
Citizen groups which believe they have no alternative but
to take court action should do so only with competent
legal assistance, however. Consult attorneys in your own
organization or your nearest public interest law group.
17
GASP at Work
"We work within the system in a responsible
manner. We do not ask the impossible. But we
demand compliance at the earliest possible moment
within the state of the art of pollution control."
So says GASP, the Group Against Smog and
Pollution, in Pittsburgh, Pa. This citizen organization
grew out of a successful campaign to upgrade the
State's proposed air quality standards. GASP then
successfully sparked other campaigns. It succeeded,
among other things, in strengthening the county air
pollution code, in getting good people named to the
air pollution variance board, and in increasing
the control agency's salaries so the agency could
attract and keep a competent staff.
For details on this group's programs and techniques,
write GASP, Box 2850, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15230.
THE SAN FRANCISCO STORY
One of the nation's most dramatic environmental
struggles has been waged over the future use and
protection of San Francisco Bay. The story is
documented in the book, The Saving of San Francisco
Bay. It is the story of three women who triggered a
decade-long struggle to protect a magnificent natural
resource. It is a story of environmental politics. It is a
story of regional planning and the highly successful
techniques used to achieve it.
The Saving of San Francisco Bay by Rice Odell is
available from the Conservation Foundation,
1717 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C.
20036. Price: $3.
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18
These guidelines for effective citizen action add up to
hard work for concerned organizations. But hard work is
precisely what's needed if the hope and promise of
this latest American Revolution are to be realized.
Government, at all levels, and industry have basic roles to
play in our nation's move toward environmental responsi-
bility. But the role of citizen organizations—what might
be called the third force for action—cannot be under-
estimated. Government and industry are responsive to
the will of the people. And citizen organizations help to
communicate the people's will to restore the quality
of our environment. Citizens can be heard and can be
effective in environmental decision making. Indeed,
citizens must ultimately make the basic value judgments on
the quality of life they want.
Recently enacted environmental laws reflect the growing
awareness of the vital role of citizen organizations in
achieving national goals. Those laws give citizen groups
unprecedented rights and tools to pursue those goals.
Use them, for as President Nixon has said: "In the final
analysis, the foundation on which environmental
progress rests in our society is a responsible and informed
citizenry. My confidence that our nation will meet its
environmental problems in the years ahead is based in
large measure on my faith in the continued vigilance of
American public opinion and in the continued vitality of
citizen efforts to protect and improve the environment."
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
State and local control agencies and EPA are major
sources of information on pollution control. In
addition, many national environmental and conserva-
tion organizations publish useful periodicals and other
materials. For the names and addresses of inter-
national, national and state organizations, see the
Conservation Directory published annually by the
National Wildlife Federation, 1412 16 St. N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20036 (Price, $2). Also available is
Groups That Can Help from EPA, Public Inquiries,
Office of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C. 20460.
And while the following list is not intended to be
all-inclusive, these publications can be useful to
citizen groups:
A Guide To Citizen Participation in Environmental
Action—Regional Plan Association of Southern
California, 621 South Virgil Ave., Los Angeles.
Calif. 90005. Price, $5.
Community Action for Environmental Quality—
Prepared by the Citizens Advisory Committee on
Environmental Quality, available from the Govern-
ment Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.
Price, 60 cents.
How To Plan An Environmental Conference—
League of Women Voters Education Fund, 1730
M St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. Free.
A Citizen's Guide to Clean Air—Conservation
Foundation, 1717 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20036. Free.
Clean Water—It's Up To You—Izaak Walton
League, 1800 North Kent St., Arlington, Va. 22209.
Free.
Law and Taxation—A Guide for Conservation
and Other Nonprofit Organizations—Conservation
Foundation. Price, $1.
Citizen Action Can Get Results—EPA. Free.
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20
Mf
Region
I Boston, Massachusetts 02203
II New York, New York 10007
III Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106
IV Atlanta, Georgia 30309
V Chicago, Illinois 60606
VI Dallas, Texas 75201
VII Kansas City, Missouri 64108
VIII Denver, Colorado 80203
IX San Francisco, California 94111
X Seattle, Washington 98101
States covered
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, D.C.
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska
Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, Trust Territories of Pacific
Islands, Wake Island
Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region V, Library
t30 South Dearborn Street
Chicago, Illinois 60604
November, 1972
The reader is free to quote or reproduce any part of this publication
without further permission.
i? U S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1972 O—478-748
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, B.C. 20402 - Price 55 cents
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U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
POSTAGE AND FEES PAID
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA-335
It's time for the people who talk about pollution
to join the people who do things about pollution.
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