The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has invited the public to participate in a week of online dialogue to develop ideas to improve access to environmental information. The National Dialogue on Access to Environmental Information launched the week-long process to gather ideas for how the agency could improve its transparency and make accessing environmental information easier. The ideas generated by the online dialogue will be used to inform the development of a multi-year strategy on environmental information access, projected to be completed later in 2008. The EPA has already collected input from stakeholder groups and is making background information and summaries of what has occurred so far available at the National Dialogue page.

The Bush administration's tenure has taken a heavy toll on EPA's reputation on transparency by raising the reporting thresholds for toxic pollution under the Toxics Release Inventory, closing numerous agency libraries, and accusations of interference with scientific research. However, with the imminent reality of a new administration, the ideas for improving access may find a receptive audience in 2009.