A group of community leaders was established earlier this year to create a network of concerned citizens knowledgeable about and interested in the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Technology Development (OTD) activities. The group participates in workshops focusing on public involvement issues related to technology development, and in particular, Integrated Demonstrations (IDs) and Integrated Programs (IPs) for DOE's Environmental Restoration and Waste Management program.
Most of the community leaders come from areas surrounding the following DOE sites: Hanford, Savannah River, Sandia National Laboratory, and Fernald. The local community leaders were selected by Public Affairs and Integrated Demonstration staff at the four sites and represent education; health; business; public interest; and local, state, and tribal governments. National and state organizations with interest in and experience with DOE issues are also represented. However, the group has a loose structure so that community leaders with a particular interest or expertise can participate in a meeting covering that topic.
The group met for the first time in February 1993 in San Diego, California where they made recommendations on how they would like to be involved in OTD activities. Three areas of involvement the group identified were the OTD/ID decision making process; OTD/ID public involvement activities; and the future of the Community Leaders project. The group also requested that future meetings be held near DOE sites with OTD projects.
The second and most recent workshop was held in August 1993 near the Savannah River Site. The group reviewed and commented on a draft Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Public Participation Plan outline presented by Don Beck, Program Manager of the Division of Technology Integration and a draft OTD Strategic Plan presented by Gerald Boyd, Acting Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Technology Development. The workshop included a tour of the ID at the Savannah River Site and the Defense Waste Processing Facility.
The Community Leaders plan to meet twice a year at times in the funding cycle where input from the group can have maximum impact. Each workshop will be designed to cover two or three topics with informative presentations at the meetings and small group discussions. The third Community Leaders Workshop is tentatively planned to coincide with OTD's Mid-Year review in March 1994 in Washington, D.C.
