Popular Science, have regional meetings on the issue, establishing a consumer hotline in the DOE, and involving technical colleges and their environ- mental/political organizations in the outreach effort. Some comments also suggested having displays on the SPS and other energy alternatives put up around the country, paying for citizen input, sponsoring public debates on the SPS, and focusing outreach efforts particularly in prospective rectenna site areas. Most respondents urged CEP to continue to keep them posted of developments on the SPS via periodic newsletters or bulletins. Many also indicated a desire to remain actively involved in the issue through the publication of stories in local newspapers, talking with their congressional representatives, or doing research on selected aspects of the SPS. In response to a survey mailed to these participants by CEP in late summer 1980, three dozen responded that they would like to be placed on the mailing lists of several key federal agencies conducting SPS research. Many also indicated that they would like to serve on any federal advisory committees or study panels that may be convened in the future to examine the SPS concept. Others stated that they would like to attend future meetings and conferences on the SPS while some respondents noted that they hoped to become “peer reviewers” for future SPS studies. In summation, the public outreach program conducted by CEP as well as by the L-5 Society and the FASST indicates that a great amount of public interest exists or potentially exists insofar as the SPS is concerned. It is also apparent that there is a wide diversity of views on the issue and that sentiments are, at least in part, a reflection of which constituency a citizen belongs to. It would therefore appear that the DOE public outreach experiment was a successful effort inasmuch as it did pinpoint a groundswell of interest in the SPS. It also surfaced a range of issues and questions of concern to these citizens. And it has laid the groundwork both for future public debate on the SPS as well as for future public input on other emerging energy technologies. Acknowledgment — The Editor wishes to thank Dr. Chad Gordon for reviewing this paper.
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