On September 18 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson will lead a cooperative conservation listening session at the Montgomery County Community College in Pottstown, Pa.

The session is intended to give citizens an opportunity to exchange ideas on incentives, partnership programs, and regulations that can improve results and promote cooperative conservation and environmental partnerships.

The listening session is the latest in a series of discussions that the Bush Administration has hosted since the President's Conference on Cooperative Conservation in August 2005. Groups and individuals involved in cooperative efforts to protect the environment are encouraged to participate in this session.

Discussion topics include:

· How can the federal government enhance wildlife habitat, species protection, and other conservation outcomes through regulatory and voluntary conservation programs?

· How can the federal government enhance cooperation among federal agencies and with states, tribes, and local communities in the application of environmental protection and conservation laws?

· How can the federal government work with states, tribes, and other public- and private-sector partners to improve science used in environmental protection and conservation?

· How can the federal government work cooperatively with businesses and landowners to protect the environment and promote conservation?

· How can the federal government better respect the interests of people with ownership in land, water, and other natural resources?

For information on how to submit comments and to review transcripts and comments by others, visit the Contact webpage for the listening sessions.

9/15/2006