Carbon Utilization Infrastructure, Markets, and Research and Development: A Final Report (2024)
Chapter: Appendix G: Key Features of Effective Siting and Permitting Processes
G
Key Features of Effective Siting and Permitting Processes
Siting policy and social acceptance of energy projects has been studied since the emergence of the antinuclear movement in the 1970s. Research has shown that “the character and quality of the process of engaging the public in the context of siting and permitting projects will affect the pace and scale” of a project’s deployment (NASEM 2023, p. 212). While creative and robust public engagement is unlikely to change the stance of ardent opponents, shortcutting public engagement can lead to delays in a project’s cycle due to driving publics to courts or other forms of protest. A review of the literature has identified the following key features of effective siting and permitting processes:
- Public engagement requires inclusive, expansive, and immersive communication. This includes communication that is conducted in multiple languages and in diverse and accessible formats; begins early in the process and features continuous updates of project progress; and utilizes both low- and high-tech strategies.
- Public engagement professionals should treat local perspectives as constructive expertise in project design. This means giving local communities the opportunity to participate in shaping the process and outcomes of important design decisions.
- Public engagement professionals should support communities in the development of local and regional visions prior to discussions of facility siting whenever possible. By prioritizing community visions for development, the siting discussion can build on and incorporate local goals rather than the other way around.
- Public engagement needs to be place-based, customized to unique regions, demographics, politics, economics, and social values. Flexibility in public engagement processes must be a priority for permitting practitioners to align with local circumstances.
- Public engagement needs to be respectful of a community’s time and priorities. Clustering review processes for projects and zone permitting have merit for equitable and rapid infrastructure development, acknowledge the risk of consultation fatigue, and facilitate effective environmental impact assessments.
- Public engagement must emphasize clarity, transparency, and accountability in all activities. Every effort must be made to provide social learning opportunities focused on how projects will affect communities in terms of public health, local environments, and economics.
REFERENCE
NASEM (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine). 2023. “Public Engagement to Build a Strong Social Contract for Deep Decarbonization.” Chapter 5 in Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States: Technology, Policy, and Societal Dimensions. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25931.
