For decades, laws have required many government agencies to seek public participation in the establishment of environmental policies. … Though critics often assert that members of the public are too ignorant to weigh the science involved in environmental policies, “public participation can help get the science right and get the right science,” says Thomas Dietz, director of the Environmental Science and Policy Program at Michigan State University, who headed the panel. "A lot of science has to be applied to a very local context. Local knowledge is essential."

National Academies News Release, August 22, 2008.

Cited publication : Thomas Dietz and Paul C. Stern, Editors, Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making, National Research Council, 2008.

For the full article, see Cornelia Dean, Report Says Public Outreach, Done Right, Aids Policymaking, New York Times, August 22, 2008.