Description: Public engagement is a critical component of the NEPA process and has become more important with the continued development of offshore wind energy across the United States especially as State lines become blurred and combine this with Federally led documents with many participating agencies, the added curveball of a global pandemic, with a reasonably new industry and you all the ingredients of a challenging engagement process. This panel will talk about those challenges through the lens of experience; highlighting success/horror stories stories from within this industry and other industries' experience with public engagement in the NEPA process.
Over the recent years, public involvement has required rapid evolution of approaches, platforms, and technology while navigating the challenges of a growing virtual environment. Our panel aims to provide an overview of successful public engagement on numerous offshore wind projects. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the benefits of early engagement and what the engagement process looks like through the perspectives of BOEM, a developer, third-party contractors, State representatives and industry experts. Discussion will cover challenges encountered in public engagement as well as provide tips on conveying information to stakeholders and members of the public. Additional topics to be discussed include:
Virtual Meeting Fatigue: Myth or Reality Information Saturation – Tips to avoid it Best Practice Guides
Learning Objectives:
By understanding numerous engagement strategies, attendees will be able to avoid common public engagement pitfalls during the offshore wind development process including information saturation.
Attendees will be able to recognize numerous platforms for public engagement and understand their benefits and shortcomings. This should enable better informed decisions for selecting their own platforms for their specific needs.
After the panelist discussion, attendees will be able to identify several successful examples of public engagement and discuss the key aspects that made them successful.
