On Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010, one of the EPA's top executives issued a letter to the public asking for advice on how the agency can become more transparent. The letter was sent from Linda Travers, the principle deputy assistant administrator of the agency's Office of Environmental Information.

"Under President Obama's Open Government Directive, we're taking several steps to be more transparent and work with you to protect the environment. But we won't come up with all the best thinking on our own," Travers said in the letter.

Industry and the public were invited to visit www.epa.gov/open/index.html?gd to begin submitting comments and suggestions.

According to Travers, the agency will be soliciting ideas on the open government plan, how to assess the quality of information, and how to prioritize what the agency publishes. The period of open comment will end on March 19.