Crompton Corporation (Formerly Witco Corporation)
- Identify stakeholders and their role in the project.
- Develop a system to communicate the project development process to stakeholders and other interested parties.
- Create an environment that will allow effective participation by stakeholders.
- Facilitate substantial consensus among stakeholders for the Final Project Agreement.
- The Sponsor - The sponsor wants to implement an approach to environmental regulation that will result in greater environmental benefit at a substantially lower cost than would otherwise be achieved by strict compliance with existing regulations. The sponsor is responsible for the implementation of the Final Project Agreement.
- Sponsor Employees - Plant employees will have a vested interest in the success of the project. This project will help ensure increased production capacity and job retention at the site.
- Regulatory Agencies- Regulatory agencies want to ensure an enhanced environmental benefit is achieved through alternative compliance paths. They will assist the sponsor in developing the project and identifying legal mechanisms which allow the regulatory relief needed to achieve the superior environmental results.
- Neighbors - Neighbors want to maintain environmental quality as well as a stable employment base in the area. They will participate to the extent they feel necessary.
- Employees - Employees are a high priority audience. It is important for employees to have an understanding of the Final Project Agreement and its significance to the facility and the environment so they can participate as an integral part of the communications effort.
- Government Officials - It is also important to keep local, state and federal government officials informed on the status of the project agreement. They will need to know about the progress of the project development process in order to address questions and concerns from constituents in their towns and districts, and in the state.
- Media - The media will be used to disseminate information on the project development process to interested members of the public. To ensure that the information is reported timely and accurately, it will be important to identify a contact person at each media source and to provide that contact with regular updates throughout the project development process. Communications will focus on the following list of media sources:
- Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) - NGOs have an interest in protecting the environment and making sure that communities have input to decision-making by industry which may affect the local community or the environment. Information will be provided to interested parties when requests are made. Interested parties may also obtain updates on the Internet Project XL homepage.
Public Involvement Plan
OSi Specialties
Project XL Public Involvement Plan
I. Introduction
OSi Specialties, Inc. is a manufacturer of silicone products. OSi's principal (and only domestic) plant is located near Sistersville, WV adjacent to the Ohio River. The Sistersville plant produces a family of man-made organo-silicone chemicals which are used in industry and homes throughout the world. Sistersville's organo-silicons have applications in electronic equipment; aircraft, missile, and space technology; appliance, automotive and metal working production; textile, paper, plastics, and glass fabrication; rubber products; paint, polish, cosmetics, and specialties; food processing and preparation; building and highway construction and maintenance; and chemical reactions and processes.
Project XL is an Environmental Protection
Agency initiative to enable companies to achieve greater environmental
progress by implementing innovative and more cost effective alternatives
to existing regulations. OSi's Sistersville site is working with stakeholders
on a Final Project Agreement to install voluntary emission control equipment
on a production process unit in exchange for relief from certain state
and federal regulations controlling air emissions from OSi's onsite
wastewater treatment system.
An important component of the Project XL process is the involvement of stakeholders. Substantial consensus on the Final Project Agreement among these stakeholders will be the ultimate measure of success. The short timeframe of the project development process will require a fast paced approach to negotiations and communications. The following plan will ensure all interested parties are informed throughout the process.
This plan may be modified throughout
the project as communication issues develop. Any additional communications
actions will be added as they are completed.
II. Goals and Objectives
The goal of the Public Involvement Plan is to meet the specific needs of stakeholders and other interested parties by creating a structure for information flow both to and from stakeholders and other interested parties to ensure a successful project is obtained.
The following are the objectives for this plan:
III. Public Involvement
A. Stakeholders
Success for the project development process will be measured by obtaining a substantial consensus on a Final Project Agreement. The stakeholders involved in this project development process are those with interests likely to be affected by the project.
The following are stakeholders and their
role in the project development process.
Witco, OSi Specialties Group
Contact - Dennis Heintzman, Director EH&S (304) 652-8377
Okey Tucker, Environmental Manager (304)
652-8131
International Chemical Workers Union - Local 698
Salaried employees
Federal Government
Environmental Protection Agency - Region III and other selected offices
Contact - Nancy Birnbaum, (202) 260-2601
State Government
West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection - Office of Air Quality
Office of Waste Management
Communities of Bens Run, Sistersville, Friendly, Middlebourne, Paden City and St. Marys
B. Interested Parties
We recognize that there are a number
of people who may not be direct participants in the project development
process but who have an interest in and wish to be informed of that
process. OSi Specialties will share information about the Project XL
process with, and will seek input from, the following groups of additional
interested parties.
Communications efforts will focus on the following list of officials:
The Cities of Friendly, Middlebourne, St. Marys and Sistersville - Mayors
Tyler and Pleasant Counties - County commissions and planning boards
WV State Senators and Representatives from the area
Federal Senators and Representatives from the area
Governor of the State of WV
The Tyler Star News (St. Marys)
The Wheeling Intelligencer (Wheeling)
The Wheeling News Register (Wheeling)
WRRR -FM Radio (St. Marys)
Information will also be made available to other interested media who contact Project XL participants.
Environmental Groups - These groups may serve as resources for both the Sponsor and Neighbors to ensure the project and subsequent FPA accomplish a true environmental benefit.
Natural Resource Defense Council
WV Office of Environmental Advocate
C. Stakeholder Participation
The Project XL Workgroup will meet on a periodic schedule to review and comment on the materials developed in a working group. The name "Project XL Workgroup" refers to the full group. This team is responsible for coming to a substantial consensus on the project.
Smaller working sub-groups made up of
representatives from the full workgroup may be established to work through
specific details of the project . The name "working sub-group"
refers to this group. In the interest of having a manageable process
in the short amount of time we have to develop a Final Project Agreement,
the working group meetings will be limited to the participation of selected
stakeholder and interested group representatives.
IV. Communications Plan
A well designed communications program
will maximize support for the project development process. It is important
to provide access to information as soon as possible to ensure success
of this accelerated project development process. The following is a
plan of action for the project development process.
Audience | Communications Efforts | Responsibility | Timing |
A. Stakeholders and other interested
parties Including: EPA WVDEP Employees |
1. A presentation of the OSi XL
proposed project was given at the kick off meeting. The presentation
included a bus tour of the OSi plant site and a summary of the
proposed project. Opportunity was given for each stakeholder group
to discuss their role in the project development process and express
any concerns. 2. Background information on Project XL and a summary of OSi's XL project were provided to those attending the meeting. 3. A working group was established to develop the detailed components of the project agreement. No local neighbors expressed an interest in participating on the workgroup. The WV Environmental Advocate Office was invited to participate but declined. 4. A more detailed plant tour was given to those participating in the workgroup 5. Members of the Project XL team are encouraged to share the concepts of the project development process with the individuals they represent. If at any time there is a need for a clearer understanding of the proposed project components, members are encouraged to seek advice from other members of the team. |
1. OSi 2. OSi 3. all 4. all 5. all |
1. Kick-off Mtg. - July 9, 1996
2. Kick-off Mtg. - July 9, 1996 3. Kick-off Mtg. - July 9, 1996 4. July 23, 1996 5. ongoing |
B. Interested Parties Neighbor Representatives Broad-based Community Local Government State Government Federal Legislators Local and state government representatives |
6. A meeting with local community
leaders was held to introduce them to the OSi proposal. 7. A newspaper article and meeting notice was published in local newspapers prior to the kick-off meeting inviting interested parties to attend. 8. Establish a mailing list of interested parties for distribution of updates. 9. An interview concerning the OSi Specialties proposal was broadcast on WV Public Radio 10. Open meetings to the public will occur during the project development process. Notices of the meetings will be published in the local newspaper. 11. Minutes from each Project XL workgroup meeting will be sent to interested parties. The reports will give information on the progress of the working group. Phone numbers of contact people will be made available in these reports as well as date and time of upcoming team meetings. 12. Information will be supplied to other interested parties when requests are made. 13. A public file (Administrative Record) will be established and maintained at the local Sistersville library and Region III headquarters. 14. A public education seminar will be held to provide information concerning the regulations associated with the XL proposal to interested individuals. 15. A presentation on the project will be made at the WV Conference on the Environment sponsored by the WVDEP, WV Chamber of Commerce, WV Manufacturers Association, et.al. 16. A public meeting was held to inform the public that a draft Final Project Agreement had been reached and that it had been published in the Federal Register for comments. The meeting was advertised through articles in the local newspaper as well as radio advertisements. |
6. OSi 7. OSi 8. OSi 9. OSi 10. OSi 11. OSi 12. OSi 13. OSi EPA 14. OSi 15. OSi 16. OSi |
6. December 1995 7. June/July 1996 8. July 1996 9. July 1996 10. ongoing 11. ongoing 12. ongoing 13. August 1996 and ongoing 14. August 1996 15. October 1996 16. July 1997 |
Employees | 17. Periodic updates will be provided
to the employees. Feedback will be requested. 18. Bulletins on the project development process will be posted on all plant bulletin boards. 19. Information will be shared at union/management forum meetings 20. Information will be shared as needed during daily production meetings |
17. OSi 18. OSi 19. OSi 20. OSi |
17. ongoing 18. 7/96 ongoing 19. ongoing 20. ongoing |
Media | 21. Initial interviews from local
newspapers were held to give an overview of the project. 22. Meeting minutes will be distributed to local newspapers to keep them informed of progress. 23. Information will be provided to other interested media when requests are made. |
21. OSi 22. OSi 23.OSi |
21. various months 22. ongoing 23. ongoing |
Non-Governmental Organizations | 24. Updates will be sent to organizations
that express an interest in the project. Feedback will be requested.
25. Information will be provided to interested parties when requests are made. |
24. OSi 25. OSi EPA WVDEP |
24. monthly 25. ongoing |
V. Future Communications
Communications on the project development
process after the Final Project Agreement is signed will need to continue
to keep stakeholders up-to-date.
Periodic reports featuring information on the site's environmental programs and progress will be developed and produced for distribution to stakeholders.