Using communication tools to facilitate regulatory review

Submittals under CERCLA, RCRA, and related environmental regulatory programs often require voluminous data and narrative, supported by multiple appendices of supplemental data. Often lost in the encyclopedic maze of documentation is the key message of the respondent. Also lost is the fact that every document, however data-driven or technical, has a message that should be readable and understandable to both the technical expert and the general reader alike. This is especially true for documents that will undergo public scrutiny at some phase. The regulatory review process can be facilitated if the respondents submitting the documentation present a clear and understandable message that is first understood by the respondents and subsequently by the intended audience. Technical communicators can play an important role in assuring that even a highly complex technical document filled with assumptions, qualifiers, analysis, and quantification retains a clear and understandable message. Simple tools that we may take for granted can be employed throughout the writing process. These tools can range from titles outlines, and team message slogans to editorial style sheets and review checklists. These tools, used as message reminders, can assist members of a documentation team to stay en pointe, to keep the message in focus while the document is being prepared. Properly applied, these tools translate into a clear message for readers, despite the legitimate and real concerns of sophisticated analysis and scientific inquiry. A clear message, in turn, can expedite the regulatory review process by helping to minimize extraneous comments and excessive requests for clarification from regulatory agencies.