ABSTRACT
Almost fifteen years have passed since the original authors wrote this chapter describing the organizational and policy evolution of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) work engaging members of the public. The new team of authors notes with sadness the passing of Margaret Kelly, who shaped the first edition. She would agree, however, that even then the story was only partially complete. The EPA continues to benefit from and respond to both internal and external factors in designing and carrying out its public participation, community involvement, and collaborative problem-solving work. These range from new pressures from communities and members of the public; to developments in the profession of public participation; to the evolution of the EPA’s own programs, the approaches they use, and their models for community involvement.
