PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management will hold three public meetings this month to solicit comments on Work Plan 2000, an initiative designed to make DEM more efficient, responsive, and accountable to the public.

The evening meetings will be held in South Kingstown on Monday, November 15, in Portsmouth on Wednesday, November 17, and in North Providence on Monday, November 22.

The two-year plan charts the future course of DEM with a clearly defined set of goals, strategies, environmental indicators, and performance measures. DEM Director Jan Reitsma will host all three of the public meetings. Reitsma calls Work Plan 2000 "a critical step in the transformation of DEM into a performance-driven agency that produces real environmental improvements in ways the public can understand and support. It is vital that we explain what the Department intends to get done within specific timeframes, the resources and strategies we will use, and how our customers can track whether we perform as promised," he said.

Director Reitsma noted that Work Plan 2000 "is driven by my vision of DEM as a results-oriented department that is not afraid to account for its performance. The plan acknowledges complaints about the department's permitting, enforcement and customer service operations and outlines detailed strategies to address these concerns." The document is organized by a clearly defined set of goals: clean air, clean water, livable communities, healthy ecosystems, viable natural resource based industries, abundant and accessible open space and recreational opportunities, and open and effective government. Importantly, "open and effective government" has been added to the customary, environmental quality related goals for the department.

The full version of the plan consists of individual work plans for each bureau and division within DEM. The plan also details pilot programs that will be used in the South County watershed region and in the Woonsaquatucket watershed to address environmental issues collaboratively on a watershed-wide basis - a new department approach that is one of Reitsma's top priorities.

The three public workshops will also offer Rhode Islanders an opportunity to comment on DEM's draft two-year Performance Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which governs DEM's use of federal grants for certain air, water, waste management, and pesticide programs. Previous versions of the PPA consisted of separate, one-year agreements for the four program areas. In an effort to more effectively integrate programs, both agencies agreed to adopt one agreement covering two years. DEM and the EPA have also agreed to include specific environmental indicators and performance measures in the PPA to ensure real results are produced.

According to Reitsma, the work plan and the PPA are both "works in progress." "We have set forth a draft blueprint for what we plan to do over the next two years to protect the public health and the environment, manage our natural resources, and improve our operations as an agency. Now, we need the citizens of Rhode Island to review and comment on our plan, and our agreement with the EPA, to help us ensure that we're moving in the right direction."

The November 15 meeting will be held at the South Kingstown High School cafeteria, at 215 Columbia Street, Wakefield. The November 17 meeting will be held at the Portsmouth Town Hall, at 2200 East Main Road. The November 22 meeting will be held at the North Providence Town Hall, at 2000 Smith Street. All meetings will begin at 7 p.m.

Copies of Work Plan 2000 are available upon request by calling DEM at 222-3434, and can be found on DEM's web site at: www.dem.state.ri.us/workplan.htm. For additional information, call DEM at 222-3434 or 222-4700 ext. 2402.