The Director, Policy Analysis and Communications Staff (PACS) reports to the Director, OAQPS. The Director is the principal OAQPS staff member responsible for advice to the Director, OAQPS, and other senior Air program officials on political and policy-related matters with outside parties, including Congress, industry, environmental groups, and State and local elected officials. The PACS functions as a primary advisor to the Director on air quality policy issues and is the lead OAQPS group responsible for Congressional, press and other communications matters.
PACS has the following principal responsibilities:
- Coordinating responses to all Congressional inquiries (including follow-up questions from Congressional hearings) and staff briefings, as well as Congressional hearings;
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Providing a policy level review on all Office-level correspondence, reports, and regulatory packages;
- Serves as the focal point for all OAQPS media contacts and for media event planning for OAQPS;
- Tracks all on-going OAQPS projects and develops and disseminates the communications materials for all the rules, guidance, and program reports developed by OAQPS;
- Writing speeches and developing briefings for the Director, OAQPS, and other EPA officials on OAQPS-related issues; and
- Coordinating rapid response to requests from the White House, the Administrator's Office, the Office of the Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, the Office of Public Affairs, and the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations.
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