The recent release of Communication and Public Participation in Environmental Decision Making uses environmental conflict as the focal point to clarify and substantiate communication as a heuristic tool and critical lens for the study of public participation in democracy. As Stephen P. Depoe and John W. Delicath articulate in the Introduction, there is growing agreement that decisions in democratic society should include public participation, but that current models and processes fall far short of meaningful public involvement in those decisions. Given this gap we need to consider more fully the role of communication processes in assessments of democratic decision-making.