By Cathy Freeman
Next time you are looking for a vlog topic, try giving President Obama an earful per request of regulations.gov, an online citizen engagement site.
The site recently announced that President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency is accepting citizen videos that discuss the importance of federal regulations and encourage participation in the rulemaking process. According to the EPA, the purpose of the contest is to remind the public that federal regulation touches “almost every aspect” of their lives.
If you are interested in submitting an entry, keep in mind the following rules:
- Videos must be submitted to YouTube before May 17
- Submissions be no more than 60-90 seconds in length
- Each video is required to add the slogan “Let your voice be heard,” and redirect viewers to the government’s regulatory website
One lucky winner will get $2,500 of taxpayer’s money and have their video used to promote the federal government regulatory process.
Though the regulations website is commendable as a tool for citizen information gathering, I think the EPA video contest falls short in the category of citizen participation. It may have had good intentions, but it’s more like a thinly veiled attempt at finding free advertising within pre-defined parameters. The agency practically spoon-fed a script to potential entrants. I think this is a missed opportunity on the part of the federal government to engage the public in a discussion on federal rule-making.
Any suggestions for the EPA?
I agree, there shouldn't any restrictions on what the videos contain. People should be allowed...NO, encouraged to say what they want to say. What is on their minds. This is just leading to more hot air being blown up our backsides. All the gov't does is talk about the environment and never acts. This is just more of that.
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