REPORT ON 1996/97 SEM STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPS

During the winter of 1996 and the spring of 1997, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) held Stakeholder Workshops in Harrisburg, Allentown and Pittsburgh for the purpose of gathering public guidance on a new direction for the Department: compliance assistance through promotion of Strategic Environmental Management principles to the regulated community (SEM).

Stakeholders from local government, environmental and citizen groups, business, community organizations and manufacturing and service industries were invited to a very different set of meetings. Unlike previous stakeholder groups, these were designed not to form consensus, but to benefit from exploring different perspectives. They were created for the express purpose of allowing DEP to listen and take notes on discussions among diverse cross-sections of the Pennsylvania community. Stakeholders were asked to react in conversation with others to the initial statement of a concept paper by the DEP Office of Energy and Technology Development. DEP examined these conversations to clarifying its Strategic Environmental Management position paper.

The Stakeholder Workshops were designed with the assistance of an independent mediation and facilitation firm, Winsor Associates, assisted by specially-trained DEP staff. The facilitators prompted discussion, to remove preconceptions and to establish dialogue among the stakeholders.

Three workshops were held across the state to provide convenient opportunities for interested persons to attend. Afternoon and evening session were scheduled at each of the three locations to further make these workshops accessible to the public. No fewer than 500 invitations were distributed for each workshop. The evening sessions averaged 11 participants. The daytime session averaged 63 participants.

A majority of the participants had reviewed the background material provided with the invitation. The participation rate in discussion was also significantly high.

Discussion of the Strategic Environmental Management paper was held primarily in small groups. It was introduced by short presentations by DEP staff. Their intention was to cover SEM’s salient points only and to explain the Stakeholder workshop format. Discussions began under an arrangement by which a smaller, revolving group of stakeholders shared their reactions and thoughts with the entire group. The initial smaller group discussion within the larger group served as a catalyst for dialogue among all of the participants.

Key areas identified by the stakeholders for further clarification included:

• clarification of "Zero Emission goals"
• effective community involvement
• clarification of "regulatory flexibility"
• clarification of the differences and similarities between ISO 14001 and the DEP’s definition of effective SEM practices
• clarification of DEP’s definition of effective EMS elements over time

The revised SEM position enclosed addresses the stakeholders’ request for greater detail and clarification of these key provisions. As revised, the Strategic Environmental Management position provides a template for a more holistic advance of sustainable environmental quality efforts.

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