Foreword

• Author: John C. Cruden
• Profession: President Environmental Law Institute
• Pages: 11-12

xi

Foreword

e Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is pleased to publish a second edition

of e Art of Commenting: How to Inuence Environmental Decisionmaking

With Eective Comments. To be eective and meaningful, agency rules ben-

et immensely from informed and relevant comments. Preparing those com-

ments requires skill and expertise. is important book ts squarely within

ELI’s central goal: enhancing the professionalism and expertise of those who

inuence or implement environmental laws. ELI’s work reaches a broad spec-

trum of people. Its publications and education programs a ssist government

regulators a nd enforcers, the judiciary, private law yers, business executives,

corporate environmental mangers and counsel, public interest advocates,

academics, and other environmental professionals. At the sa me time, ELI

strengthens nonprot organizations, community groups, and many others

to enable t hem to have a constructive, meaningful role in the creation and

implementation of environmental laws and policies. ELI provides practical

training and clear, u seful, and ea sily acc essible environmental information

for people who want to advance the environment w ithin the framework of

the rule of law.

Elizabeth Mullin’s e Art of Commenting is a book for everyone who

would like to participate mea ningfully in an environmental decision. e

implementation of environmental laws invariably results in the creation of

written documents such as reg ulations, policies, programs, plans, studies,

reports, and permits. A range of companies, agencies, institutions, and indi-

viduals may have a stake in how these documents are written and decisions

the documents support. As described in the rst chapter of the book, people

within an agency or organization writing a document may review and com-

ment on drafts and there may also be a public comment period. e Art of

Commenting will assist those who are commenting on drafts of their own

agency’s, organization’s, or client’s documents, as well as those participating

in the public comment periods available under many federal, state, and local

environmental laws.

I particularly like this book because it is so practica l. Expertly written

by an environmental insider with rst-hand experience in the commenting

process, the book is a step-by-step guide to writing comments that are most

likely to lead to the desired environmental resu lts. Readers wil l learn how