State enviro chief wants public input on how to make do with less

We all know the economic crisis is hitting every aspect of many people’s lives and the state budget for the environment is no exception.

Now, hoping to figure out how to make do with a lot less money, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has scheduled six “listening sessions” in coming weeks to hear the public’s ideas on how to make structural changes to meet environmental goals despite budget cuts.

“Governor Patrick and I have worked hard with EEA agencies to manage our budgetary challenges to date so as to have the least impact on our environmental mission,” said EEA Secretary Ian Bowles. “But the time has come to think bigger. In that, we need the help of everyone who cares about our parks, beaches, rivers, streams, and forests.”

Bowles is researching three areas:
• Public-private partnerships to help manage state parks and other Department of Conservation and Recreation properties.
• New regulatory models to figure out ways to protect the environment through innovative means such as the state’s privatization of the clean-up of hazardous waste sites.
• Reorganization/consolidation of state agencies to help clarify missions and reduce duplication of effort.

Already, concern is growing among environmental groups about stripping away protections for wetlands, water and park upkeep. But state environmental officials say they are only in a listening mode now.

Here is a list of the sessions and how to comment: