  |
|
|
Department of Ecology News Release - October 9, 2008
08-277
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) has received high marks for helpfulness, professionalism and responsiveness in a just-completed customer service survey of 1,382 individuals and businesses regulated by the agency.
It is the fourth time since 2002 that Ecology has hired the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct the rigorous third-party survey of people and businesses that have applied for environmental permits from the agency.
Permit applicants were asked how satisfied they were with Ecology's customer service and if the permitting process was clear and predictable.
For maximum candor, the confidentiality of individual responses is safeguarded by USDA. Ecology managers are briefed by USDA surveyors, but don't learn how specific individuals or businesses respond to the questions.
This year's results are in line with previous years' findings. Some of the highest scores in the 2008 survey were: 95 percent of customers said Ecology staff members are friendly; 92 percent said staff members listen; 92 percent said staff members are helpful.
The agency also received high scores for responsiveness: 93 percent of customers surveyed said they're satisfied with Ecology's response to emails; 93 percent said they're satisfied with Ecology's response to requests for materials; 92 percent said they're satisfied with Ecology's response to phone calls; 88 percent said they're satisfied with the agency's response to letters.
In the lowest satisfaction areas, more than three-fourths of customers were satisfied with Ecology: 77 percent of customers surveyed said Ecology staff members work on innovative solutions; 78 percent said Ecology regulatory forms are easy to use; 78 percent said environmental compliance monitoring requirements are reasonable; 79 percent said Ecology staff members tell how long permit decisions will take.
For results on all questions, see: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/quality/survey/2008summary.html
Ecology's customer service improvement effort is guided by a statewide group of regulatory performance advisors, representing a wide range of business, agricultural, tribal, environmental, and governmental organizations.
Alex McGregor, president of a farm supply firm and a wheat and livestock ranch that dates back to territorial days, has been a member of Ecology's regulatory performance advisory group since its inception in 2002. As he put it, "The Ecology team has taken the time to get candid feedback from out in the field—from urban areas to rural ranches. They've taken constructive suggestions to heart and they have worked hard to build friendly and professional relationships with people across the broad expanse of our state. They've made real progress since we started six years ago and I am glad to have been able to help."
Paul Roberts, Everett City councilman and panel member said: "Local governments face special challenges. Cities and counties are often in a position of coordinating state, federal and local permits, so it is important that Ecology is willing to make its permitting processes work better. The survey shows they are on the right track. They remain committed to hearing and responding to criticism. This makes government better."
Ecology Deputy Director Polly Zehm said, "We're committed to continuous improvement in our service to the public. As part of this effort, we survey our permit customers every two years, asking them how well we are meeting their needs. We share the survey results with our regulatory performance advisory group and with Ecology managers so we can further improve environmental permitting and regulatory processes. Working together with permit holders and the public, we're improving protection of Washington's environment for present and future generations."
Working with the Governor's Office of Regulatory Assistance, Ecology has developed the Online Permit Assistance System (OPAS) and implemented targets for how long it will take to make permit decisions.
As part of Ecology's ongoing efforts to improve regulatory performance, the agency also has recently updated "Working in the Water," a useful guidance tool outlining state requirements for all projects working in or near water. It's part of an effort to make it easy for land developers to work in Washington and protect our waters. Here's a link: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/9906/index.html
# # #
Contact: David Workman, Communication & Education, 360-407-7004; dwor461@ecy.wa.gov
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
