The Department of Energy (hereinafter DOE or the Department) is responsible for ensuring the Nation’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. DOE maintains the Nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, reduces the threat of nuclear proliferation, oversees the Nation’s energy supply, leads the Nation in areas of federally sponsored basic research critical to U.S.

In 1996, the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC or the Council), through its Public Participation and Accountability Subcommittee, worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) to develop the Model Plan for Public Participation (Model Plan). The Model Plan outlined critical elements for conducting public participation and identified core values and guiding principles for the practice of public participation. It was published as a “living document” that would be reviewed and revised as necessary.

Effective risk communication is essential to the well-being of any organization and those people who depend on it. Ineffective communication can cost lives, money, and reputations. Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User's Guide provides the scientific foundations for effective communication.