Summary of Communication and Outreach

Work Group Conference Call

January 22, 1997

I.	PURPOSE

A Communication and Outreach Work Group conference call took place on January 22, 1997 to discuss the reaction from the public hearings, TTN and Internet usage, Work Group success with making information easily accessible, what can be done differently in preparation for June, the December 9 satellite downlink, the Phase II Management Plan, the Draft Proposal for Developing Phase II Issue Papers, a status update on brochure development, and the next meeting.

II.	PARTICIPANTS

Work Group members in attendance:

Tom Curran, Co-chair, OAQPS/ITG

Ron White, Co-chair, ALA

Jan Kleeman, OAQPS/ITG

Stephanie Cooper, OTC - for Bruce Carhart

Mike Kenyon, EPA/Region I

Nancy Kruger, STAPPA/ALAPCO

Jayne Mardock, Clean Air Network

Richard Paul, AAMA

Caryl Pfeiffer, Kentucky Utilities Co.

Quin Shea, NMA

Work Group members not in attendance:

Tad Aburn, MDE

Bill Baker, EPA/Region II

Susan Bullard, OMS

Alice Collingwood, PSAPCA

Margaret Cook, Intertribal Council of Arizona

Kathy Ellis, DOD

Nancy Seidman, Massachusetts DEP

Sandy Stash, ARCO

Scott Thomas, Oklahoma DEQ

Other EPA attendees: Nancy Pate, Bob Stallings, Larry Wallace, Karen Borel (Region IV), and Barbara Parzygnat.

Other attendees: Eric Schweitzer, EC/R Incorporated (EPA Contractor support).

III.	MEETING SUMMARY

Action Items

1.	To facilitate downloading files, EPA is considering providing information on why files are zipped and how to unzip the files.

2.	Nancy Kruger will provide Jan Kleeman with feedback on how the downlink was received by STAPPA/ALAPCO members once she hears from the Steering Committee. Other members were encouraged to pass along feedback received from their constituencies about the satellite downlinks.

3.	Tom Curran will mention Richard Paul's idea of generating an issue paper on attainability or achievability to Tom Helms.

4.	There has been a revision to the Phase II Management Plan's Table IV since the January 7, 1997 version distributed with the meeting materials. A column for review by external lead(s) has been added. Jan Kleeman will post the revised Management Plan on the bulletin board.

5.	There is now a more current version of the Draft Proposal for Developing Phase II Issue Papers than the one distributed with the meeting materials. Jan Kleeman will send the new version to members. It will also be posted on the TTN for review and comments.

6.	The brochure is on schedule for a January completion date and will be passed around at the February 19, 1997 meeting in Washington DC for review. Jan Kleeman will also FAX copies to members.

7.	Members were asked to look at the FACA Home Page and be ready to provide feedback on necessary updates to the Page at the DC meeting.

Other Items to Note

1.	There will be a series of workshops throughout the country put on by EPA in conjunction with the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA), beginning in January, 1997.

2.	The upcoming face-to-face meeting will be on February 19, 1997 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the DC Hyatt, where the Subcommittee will also be meeting on February 20 and 21, 1997. The topics will include: 1) the FACA Home Page - what changes need to be made; 2) the brochure; and 3) any additional topics. The goal is to finalize the brochure at the February 19 meeting and discuss its dissemination. The following Subcommittee meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 6-9. The Subcommittee agenda and other materials will be posted on the TTN.

3.	Because of the positive response to the satellite downlinks, EPA plans to do more in the future.

IV.	SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION

Reaction from Public Hearings

Two members were disappointed there was not more discussion on the topic of the Federal Reference Method at the recent public hearing in Durham, NC. One member felt that EPA, having had advance notice of the change in topic, should have notified industry. There were 123 speakers at the Boston hearing. Approximately 70 were in favor of the proposal and having standards at least as tough as the present ones. There were also several public health speakers in Boston, including Drs. Dockery and Schwartz, as well as a sizeable industry contingent. Industry voiced concern over cost issues, noted that air quality is improving under the current regime, and stressed the need for greater scientific certainty.

TTN and Internet Usage

By mid-December, 1996, the electronic equivalent of approximately 1.5 million pages had been downloaded from the TTN. If this amount of paper were stacked vertically, it would stand taller than a 12-story building. It would have been difficult for the Agency to move this much information as quickly before the TTN and Internet became available.

Work Group Success With Making Information Available

The general sentiment is that information is easy to find if you know where to look. EPA advertised the available information through the usual means, such as press releases. Interest groups bought advertising time on radio and directed listeners to EPA's 1-888- TellEPA line.

Unzipping files is an additional step requiring special software. However, it is hard to avoid zipping files considering the size of the documents. Making the unzipping software more readily available would help in the future. Ideas the Agency is considering include warning people up front of the need for unzipping software, and providing a user-friendly explanation of why zipping is done and how to unzip files.

One member suggested there be a link to Federal Register sites once the proposals are published. Information is more condensed in the Federal Register. Another member stressed the need to rely on vehicles other than the Internet and Federal Register, simply because many people do not have access to either. Interest groups have downloaded documents from EPA's Internet/TTN sites and disseminated them.

What Can Be Done Differently in Preparation for June?

Members liked the toll-free number EPA made available for the recent proposals. Next time it would be better if the number was advertised more in advance. Accordingly, it was suggested that the Agency begin developing a plan now for June including each component of outreach and how each will be advertised.

EPA, in conjunction with the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA), will host a series of workshops on the proposed ozone and PM standards throughout the country, beginning in January, 1997. EPA Regional offices are taking a more active role in the workshops than in the past.

December 9 Satellite Downlink

Nancy Kruger will provide Jan Kleeman with feedback on how the downlink was received by STAPPA/ALAPCO members once she hears from the Steering Committee. Karen Borel said the downlink was very well received in Region IV. As implementation draws closer, there will be more interest in information on the part of State and Local agencies. EPA expects to do more satellite downlinks in the future.

Phase II Management Plan

Jan Kleeman gave an overview of the Phase II Management Plan, noting the issue papers that will be covered at the February Subcommittee meeting. There will be 3 or 4 additional issue papers beyond those listed on page 8 covered at that meeting, which will be determined in the next few days. Issue paper status will be tracked more closely in Phase II.

Richard Paul suggested the "Too Close to Call" paper be put on the Phase II Issue Paper Status Summary on page 4. He also suggested a paper be generated on attainability or achievability. Tom Curran will mention the latter to Tom Helms.

There has been a revision to the Management Plan's Table IV since the January 7, 1997 version distributed with the meeting materials. A column for review by external lead(s) has been added. Jan Kleeman will post the revised Management Plan on the bulletin board.

Draft Proposal for Developing Phase II Issue Papers

There is now a more current version of the Draft Proposal for Developing Phase II Issue Papers than the January 7, 1997 version distributed with the meeting materials. Jan Kleeman will send the new version to members. It will also be posted on the TTN for review and comments.

Changes to the January 7 draft are as follows

#2- "this" in the first sentence will be changed to "the background and salient questions"

a new item will be added as #3 as follows: "the background, salient questions and principles/options are posted on the TTN bulletin board for review and comment"

#3 (now #4)- the beginning of sentence 2 will be changed to "Based upon these discussions, modifications could be made..." and "and provide feedback/direction to the Workgroup" was added to sentence 4

#4 (now #5)- will read "Based upon Workgroup, Coordination Group, and Subcommittee discussions and any written comments received by the external lead, the contractor will draft a detailed issue paper. For the purpose of providing direction to the contractor, the external lead will coordinate with the EPA staff lead to provide the EPA Work Assignment Manager with the necessary information to provide technical direction to the contractor."

#6 (now #7)- added clarification that the summary will be provided to the Communication and Outreach Work Group by the contractor for C&O review

#8 (now #9)- adds that the final plain English summary will be given to Communication and Outreach Work Group for dissemination

#9- has been omitted.

The issue papers in Phase II will be delivered to the Subcommittee by the Work Group Co-chairs, as in Phase I.

Status Update on Brochure Development

The previous comments have been incorporated by the contractor and a mock up is expected on January 22. The sections on the implementation of the standards and the review process will be on separate pages as inserts in the brochure. The brochure is on schedule for a January completion date and will be passed around at the in-person meeting for review. Jan Kleeman will also FAX copies to members.

Next Meeting

The upcoming face-to-face meeting will be on February 19, 1997 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the DC Hyatt. The topics for the Communication and Outreach meeting include: 1) the FACA Home Page - what changes need to be made; 2) the brochure; and 3) any additional topics. The goal is to finalize the brochure at the February 19 meeting and discuss its dissemination.

The Subcommittee will meet at the DC Hyatt on February 20 and 21, 1997. The Subcommittee agenda and other materials will be posted on the TTN. The following Subcommittee meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 6-9.

Members were asked to look at the FACA Home Page and be ready to provide feedback on necessary updates to the Page at the DC meeting. One member suggested discussing the Work Group's role in disseminating the issue paper summaries.