Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    • Environmental Topics
    • Air
    • Bed Bugs
    • Chemicals and Toxics
    • Climate Change
    • Emergency Response
    • Environmental Information by Location
    • Environmental Justice
    • Greener Living
    • Health
    • Land, Waste, and Cleanup
    • Lead
    • Mold
    • Pesticides
    • Radon
    • Science Topics
    • Water Topics
    • A-Z Topic Index
    • Laws & Regulations
    • By Business Sector
    • By Topic
    • Compliance
    • Enforcement
    • Guidance
    • Laws and Executive Orders
    • Regulations
    • Report a Violation
    • Environmental Violations
    • Fraud, Waste or Abuse
    • About EPA
    • Our Mission and What We Do
    • EPA Administrator
    • Headquarters Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Labs and Research Centers
    • Planning, Budget, and Results
    • Organization Chart
    • EPA History
    • Staff Directory
Related Topics:
  • Air Quality Management Process
Contact Us

Managing Air Quality - Public Participation

Public participation involves actively seeking and responding to input from citizens and enabling meaningful involvement in decision-making.

Overview

Environmental management is the collective responsibility of individuals, communities, businesses, organizations, institutions, and governments. Increasingly, governments recognize the importance of civil society participation in environmental management. Public participation is viewed as integral to effective air quality management.

Citizens have greater access to information and are demanding to be more involved at early stages of the policy development process.  In many countries, data are available via the Internet and people can determine for themselves the sources of local pollution. Citizens can use that information to influence governmental entities or the industry directly.

Educating the public and ensuring their participation in the air quality management process is a critical aspect of governmental responsibility. Air quality has a tremendous impact on sensitive populations. These populations need to understand how they are affected, how they can minimize these impacts, and how they can influence decision makers for the benefit of all society.

Examples of How EPA Informs and Involves the Public

  • How the public can get involved with EPA regulations
  • Learn about environmental topics 
  • EPA’s AIRNow provides the public with easy access to air quality information, through the use of the Air Quality Index.
  • My Environment provides environmental information in a user-selected area within the United States. 

Tools to Help Governments Involve the Public in the Air Quality Management Process

  • EPA's Public Participation Guide provides tools for public participation and public outreach in environmental decision-making. This guide is designed to help government agencies design and implement a meaningful public participation program. The guide is available in several languages.
  • AirNow-International  is helping countries and regions around the world inform the public about the quality of the air they breathe.
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on July 18, 2022
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshot
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Plain Writing
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data.gov
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Open Government
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions

Follow.