What is a CAP?
Community advisory panels (CAPs) are sprouting up all over the country,
providing new opportunities for plants and their neighbors to build better
understanding of issues that concern both. According to the American Chemistry
Council (ACC), there are more than 400 advisory panels currently operated
by ACC-member companies.
Panels have been on a steady rise since statistics were first kept in
1991 when only 56 had been founded. Many CAPs were formed as part of ACC's
Responsible CareŽ program which encourages plants to have a mechanism
for ongoing dialogue with their communities.
A CAP is not a public relations program designed to improve the image
of a facility or the chemical industry. Nor is it an activist group for
the purpose of closing down a plant.
Rather, a community advisory panel is generally a small group (20 or so)
of citizens who represent the fabric of their community and who have made
a commitment to meet with the management of the local plant or group of
plants on a regular basis to discuss issues of mutual interest. It is
an independent body that should involve all of the key audiences and reflect
the diversity within the community.
The CAP should provide a forum for open and honest dialogue between citizens
and plant management to break down stereotypes and "corporate walls."
Ultimately, a community advisory panel provides the opportunity for building
mutual respect and trust.
In addition to important exchanges of information, some very meaningful
activities have come out of CAPs. Plant managers are learning how important
dialogue with their neighbors can be. With mutual respect and trust as
the cornerstone, communities are surprised at the openness of the plants
about their operations, challenges and future plans.