Protecting Land and Conservation Values And How Public Values Fit In October 2010
Typical Transmission Line Planning Define Problem Model System Generate Route Alternatives Evaluate Costs & Impacts Select Alternative Apply for Permit All Hell Breaks Loose Assess needs to meet objectives Design program with toolbox Implement CP program Standard ProcessEIS Citizen Participation Evaluate and adjust Decision
Standard Agency Public Meetings: Somewhere Between a Waste of Time Counterproductive “I never heard about this!”
1. PR Focused on Supporters 2. “Systematic Development of Informed Consent” Focused on Opponents SDIC: In the U.S. One Determined Opponent Can Block your Project
You have one man to blame, and it’s not who you expect….. Thomas Jefferson
The Public Must Understand It is Serious Problem/ Opportunity (Sell Problem; Sell Problem…..) You’re the Right Entity Approach is Reasonable/Responsible You’re Listening/You Care
Goal: “Informed Consent” “I don’t like it, but I’ll have to live with it.”
Selling the problem, not the solution, increases support Convincing public of need early on is critical to project success Well, it has to go somewhere…
Don’t jump to using same tools. Standard communication methods are too time consuming