Community Involvement Policy

Community Involvement Policy Statement

The first step in meeting the needs of the public is to understand the public's needs. Community involvement lets ­the agency know what the citizens think about our activities. Though community involvement, we will broaden ­our information base and improve our decisions.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is committed to complete, open, and effective participation in ­agency action. The agency regards community involvement as an essential element in the development of ­programs and decisions that affect the public.

The public has a right to know about our projects and to participate in our decision making process. To ensure that ­FAA actions serve the collective public interests, all stakeholders will have an opportunity to be heard. Our goals ­are:

lTo provides active, early, and continuous public involvement;

lTo provide reasonable public access to information;

lTo provide the public an opportunity to comment prior to key decisions; and

lTo solicit and consider public input on plans, proposals, alternatives, impacts, mitigation ­and final decision.

This task will require agency management and staff:

lTo identify and involve the public and to consider specific concerns;

lTo use public involvement techniques designed to meet the diverse needs of the broad ­public, including not only interested groups and the general public, but individuals as well;

lTo ensure FAA planning and project managers commit appropriate financial and human ­resources to community involvement;

lTo sponsor outreach, information, and educational assistance to help the public participate ­in FAA planning, programming, and project development activities;

lTo ensure key personnel are trained properly in community involvement techniques and ­methods; and

lTo development and evaluate public involvement processes and procedures to assess their ­success at meeting our goals.

The goals of community involvement are:

lTo promote a shared obligation of the public and FAA decision makers in identifying ­aviation-related concern and developing and evaluating alternatives to address them; and

lTo promote an active public role to minimize potential adverse community reaction to ­agency plans that are necessary for safe, effective, and environmentally responsible management of ­our airspace.

Signed by

David R. Hinson

Administrator

Dated: April 17, 1995