To help the public better understand the information that is most useful to the agency, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality recently published tips for making public comments. They also developed an infographic to convey this information.
The news article notes that “comments that provide new information the agency has not yet considered or offer possible solutions to the problem are helpful.” Three keys to effective public comments identified are: point out unintended consequences, show up with technical expertise, and point to a solution, rather than just a problem.
The article also states that “comments that offer opinions or raise questions unrelated to the proposed rule or permit are not-so-helpful.” It goes on to identify common comment mistakes including using comments as votes, making comments that are not specific to the rulemaking proposal, proposing comments beyond the authority of the rule maker, and asking questions rather than offering comments.
