Meaningful Public Outreach and Best Practices for Project Proponents in Permitting Processes
Permitting agencies are calling for more meaningful public outreach by project proponents, not only early in the project design phase but throughout the life of the project. However, requirements and definitions of “more meaningful” outreach to be implemented by project proponents is not always clearly defined by permitting agencies, leaving project proponents in an area of uncertainty. The silver lining is that this puts project proponents in a position to establish their own definition of meaningful outreach and establish new or expanded public outreach efforts based on their own internal guidance, which can be tailored to the type of project and individual goals of a company. To aid companies in establishing their own outreach criteria, here are some good practices for meaningful public outreach based on our team’s experience with actions taken by permitting agencies themselves:
- Develop a Community Relations Plan that outlines the company’s environmental policies and compliance plans, especially when operating in environmental justice communities. See USEPA’s Creating a Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan.
- Initiating public outreach early during project planning and development and allow public feedback to help guide project design and mitigation. See USDOT’s Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making.
- Periodically issue project notices to inform the community about the project, its schedule, why it is needed, and how the community can provide input and comments on the project.
- Hold regularly scheduled meetings and/or conference calls with community leaders and key stakeholders to keep them updated on the project and allow them opportunities to comment on the project.
- Develop a Community Benefits Agreement to demonstrate project benefits to the community. Check out US DOE’s Community Benefit Agreement Toolkit. Benefits can be a direct result of the project itself, or through some other action such as:
- donations to emergency/first responders, fire departments, or public schools;
- contributions to community programs;
- funding scholarship programs; or
- providing job training opportunities.
When submitting applicable permit filings, we encourage project proponents to include a summary of their outreach efforts that describes the outreach completed, the public comments received, and how those comments were addressed or considered. Project proponents should describe any comments that they were not able to address and highlight specific constraints or limitations that prohibited doing so. Further, project proponents should identify the key components of ongoing outreach that would be implemented throughout the life of the project. Engaging in public outreach efforts early and often provides an opportunity for the project proponents not only to learn about the community they are working in, but to become a part of it and ultimately build better projects.