5.0 STRATEGY FOR COMMUNICATION OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

EPA has initiated a variety of public outreach activities to inform the public and stakeholders about the FACA Subcommittee, its role, progress to date, and its recommendations; the proposed and final NAAQS rulemakings; and the transition policy to implement the revised NAAQS. These outreach activities will continue as the EPA and States/Tribes work together to implement the revised NAAQS over the coming years.

EPA's NAAQS-related public outreach program has used a variety of media to disseminate both background/general information and technical information to interested parties. To date, the program has included the following elements:

Electronic Communication Mechanisms

Development and Distribution of NAAQS-Related Materials (brochures, fact sheets, and media releases)

Meetings and Briefings.

Electronic Communication Mechanisms

The Ozone, PM and Regional Haze FACA Bulletin Board has been available on EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards' (OAQPS) TTN (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/)since April 1996. Through this site the public can access NAAQS background information and the various issue papers developed by the FACA Subcommittee work groups. The public response to this site has been very supportive and the number of downloads since that time is indicative of both its success and the widespread use of the internet for information distribution. Figure 5-1 depicts the total number of files downloaded from the TTN each week for the past year. Figure 5-2 depicts the number of weekly FACA downloads on the TTN since April of 1997.

EPA's AirLinks site (http://www.epa.gov/AirLinks/) also has been a popular site, and was used as the primary mechanism to provide the public and others with fact sheets and other information related to the November 1996 proposal and July 1997 promulgation of new air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter and the new regional haze program. EPA is developing an implementation website to provide information on implementation guidance development. This website will also track the implementation of the PM-2.5 monitoring network, and will be available through the AirLinks address above. EPA is also working with several multi-state organizations to provide national real-time air quality data to the public in an easily accessible and understandable way. EPA is examining ways to partner with State, local, and Federal agencies to leverage existing technology, develop user interfaces and data presentation formats, and develop a "cookbook" to ensure consistent approaches among the States.

Development and Distribution of NAAQS-Related Materials

To provide information about the new air quality standards and implementation activities, EPA has developed an array of background materials on ozone, PM, regional haze, the NAAQS rulemaking process and implementation strategy. These materials include:

Regulating Smog and Particle Air Pollution: An Integrated Approach (EPA-456/F-97-003)

Proposed Revisions to the Ozone and Particulate Matter Air Quality Standards (EPA-456/F-97-003)

Final Revisions to the Ozone and Particulate Matter Air Quality Standards (EPA-456/F-97-004)

Regional Approaches to Improving Air Quality (EPA-451/K-97-001).

Meetings and Briefings

EPA has conducted a number of briefings to its Regional Offices, Congressional staff, and public interest groups. These briefings updated interested parties on the status of the FACA process, NAAQS revisions, and the transition policy. Additionally, EPA held four public meetings on the proposed ozone and PM NAAQS revisions, two public meetings prior to issuing the proposed rulemaking and one public meeting on regional haze. The Subcommittee meeting also were open to the public. EPA also has conducted several satellite broadcasts over its Distance Learning Network to provide a forum for discussion of ozone/PM NAAQS-related issues with targeted State/local agencies.