Action: Public Participation in EPA's Regulatory Reform - deadline 15 May 2017

[tanaqui]

Public Participation in EPA's Regulatory Reform
Deadline: 15 May 2017

From watersword in our suggestions post:

The EPA is soliciting public comment on the plan to roll back environmental regulations; they're required by law to take comments into account when deciding next actions.

You can submit comments in writing using Email, Docket or mail, with the EPA page on the consultation providing the contact details for each method. Note that: All public comments will be accessible online in [the] docket

The docket page helpfully provides a Tips for Submitting Effective Comments (PDF) which is packed with good advice, and you can include attachments. We also have an excellent post from tassosss on how to turn a phone script into a letter (and structuring letters in general) that may be helpful when you're drafting your comment. As both suggest, the most effective comments are likely to be those that are specific and, if relevant, personal. It may also be worth revisiting the post we made about George Lakoff's suggestions for re-framing the debate, so that the focus is on talking about the "protections" that the EPA provides (rather than "regulations").

To figure out what you want to comment on, this article summarises some of the main areas of protection at risk under the proposed cuts. The EPA website provides information on:

Regulatory Information by Topic, as well as

how to find regulations and

how to get regulatory information for your state or region, since many EPA regulations are adminstered by state agencies.