Dear Katie,
The Alabama Environmental Management Commission (EMC) is undergoing a review of their rule that allows for public comment period at the end of their regular meetings. The link to the public notice is at this link. It is critical that we let the EMC know how important it is to allow public to come before them and express valid issues and concerns about environmental regulation in their communities.Please take time to do this before 5 pm today. Your right to speak to the EMC may depend on it.
They are accepting comments on this rule until today, Sept 15th at 5 pm.You can send comments to:
Alabama Environmental Management Commission
ATTN: AEMC Rulemaking Committee
BACKGROUND:
As part of the ADEM Reform Coalition, citizen groups successfully advocated the amendment to ADEM Administrative Rule 335-2-3-.05, Agenda, Sections (1) through (3) that allow the public time to present to the Alabama Environmental Management Commission (EMC) at the end of their regular meetings. This was a huge step forward in our ability as citizens to ensure that the full picture of environmental impacts were being presented to the EMC. The EMC is reviewing this rule.
It is essential that they receive comments from the public about how important it is to keep this rule in place. Below are some talking points that you can use to send your own comments to the Commission at the above email address.
TALKING POINTS:
- The ability for the public to have a voice on matters of environmental regulation that impact their communities and their quality of life is of the utmost importance.
- As a body that is charged with making environmental policy and overseeing the enforcement of environmental rules and regulations, it is important that the EMC receive all stakeholder perspectives, including business, regulated industry, environmental experts and organizations, and individual citizens, to enable the EMC to make the most sound and balanced decisions.
- We respect the challenges that public presentations present due to the fact that the EMC serves a three part role as executive, legislative, and judicial decision makers for the agency. While we believe it is worth considerable review to discern the best way to deal with this dilemma, we do not believe that sacrificing public participation at meetings is a solution.
- We strongly recommend that you do not make the process any more cumbersome than it already is for citizens to request to present and be heard by the EMC.
- The Alabama Environmental Management Commission has been a leader among state agencies and commissions since 2003 in allowing the public to come before the EMC and express valid issues and concerns about environmental regulation in their communities. It would be a shame to move backwards toward a more closed system or a more difficult system for citizen participation.
- In reviewing this rule, we ask that you keep this valuable rule in place and work with citizens and organizations to improve their ability to present the most appropriate and useful information to the EMC. We would also like to see an effort to allow citizen presentations to be a part of the official agenda and minutes of the EMC meetings.
Again, please take time to do this before 5 pm today. Your right to speak to the EMC may depend on it.
Sincerely,
Cindy Lowry
Executive Director
Alabama Rivers Alliance
2014 6th Ave North, Suite 200
Birmingham, AL 35203
Alabama Rivers Alliance 