Login
Creating the Conditions and Capacity for Communities to Confidently Participate in Consent-Based Siting
Communities across the country are making decisions about approving or opposing the construction of new infrastructure of all types (energy-related, housing, transportation, water, etc.) Locating new infrastructure projects is referred to as “siting.” These projects often bring a mixture of benefits and costs to the local communities in which they are sited.
Consent-based siting is a new approach to locating infrastructure projects that gives power to veto a proposed project, or to negotiate an agreement that provides sufficient benefits in line with the community’s interests and values.
The consent-based siting approach was originally developed to site nuclear waste facilities in the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan, however it could also be used for solar and wind farms, airport expansions, landfills, and affordable housing, to list a few.
We are a collaborative consortium, drawing on expertise from around the world, to develop a voluntary consent-based (CBS) approach to locating infrastructure projects that are needed by the nation, but that present local costs and benefits.
We intend to improve the ability of communities to engage in productive conversations about infrastructure projects. By harnessing communities’ collective wisdom and experience, we also intend to provide an independent resource that reassures and empowers future communities engaged in a CBS process — knowing that the resource has been developed by communities for communities.
Our Mission
By offering skill-building workshops and grant funding, we seek to help communities improve their ability to engage in making decisions about new infrastructure. We also want to gather advice about how government and developers can best collaborate with communities in the future.
Our Approach
We are offering training workshops for community stakeholders and staff from local and regional governments.
The workshops will build communication and collaboration skills that will help community members collaborate and reach agreements on charged decisions about locating new infrastructure (energy, housing, transportation, waste management, etc.).
We will also be offering financial grants to enhance communities’ capacity and capability to conduct civic discussions about infrastructure projects.
Funding
We acquired funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for this work. The DOE has asked us to provide input on how future siting processes can be consent-based. “Consent-based” means an approach that focuses on prioritizing the needs and concerns of the people and communities that would host the facility.
The DOE has asked us to collect input from communities about how to design and run such a voluntary process. Sometime in the next five years, the DOE has plans to begin a consent-based siting process to find a single place to temporarily store the spent nuclear fuel that is presently held at about 80 locations across the USA.
Nothing in the work we are offering to do will in any way suggest that a community is interested in engaging with the DOE in the future.
- Phase 1
- Phase 2
- Phase 3
Drawing on the lived experience of populations with a history of being under-served and/or over-burdened, we will first explore how these communities currently learn about and consider potentially contentious siting and infrastructure projects, particularly those cutting across geographies and jurisdictions. We will offer capacity building workshops and gather recommendations from the community for how to do consent-based siting well.
Using what we learned from Phase 1, and incorporating learning from other countries, we will develop a common framework of principles and resources that US communities deem vital in building a meaningful, collaborative CBS process.
We believe that communities benefit when they can share and learn from other communities. For this reason, we will be building a network of communities that are dealing with similar kinds of controversies. This will serve as a resource base for communities seeking help and will empower communities to learn from each other.
Grants Program
Throughout this process we want to leave participating communities with enhanced confidence, capacity, and capability to meaningfully participate in discussions about controversial infrastructure projects of any kind.
Our goal is to engage 6-10 communities in Phase 1. We have substantial funding to support community and Tribal or regional government involvement.
Timeline
The project started in late 2023 and continues until fall of 2025.
Who We Are
We are a team of four organizations with decades of local government experience that are interested in empowering communities and people to have a greater role in the siting process.
Keystone Policy Center
Keystone Policy Center is a nationally-recognized leader in community convening, facilitation, and capacity building – with a particular history of working with Tribal, under-served, diverse, and rural communities.
Social and Environmental Research Institute
SERI has deep social science research experience and expertise specifically in community engagement and consent-based siting processes — providing a bridge between applied social science and practical application within communities.
GDFWatch
GDFWatch has unrivalled direct experience of designing and helping implement the consent-based siting process in the UK, learning from the experience of repository programs around the world, and developing productive connections between affected communities.
National Association of Regional Councils
NARC is the leading network of regional councils, encompassing communities and government at all levels engaged in long-term socioeconomic planning and co-operation across geographies.
Need to Know – Frequently Asked Questions
We are offering training workshops for community stakeholders and staff from local and regional governments.
The workshops will build communication and collaboration skills that will help you talk to each other better and reach agreements on charged decisions about locating new infrastructure (energy, housing, transportation, waste management, etc.).
There is no cost involved. In fact, we have secured funding so that we can issue grants to encourage and support participation in our workshops.
We are also interested in learning from you about how communities can best make decisions about infrastructure-siting decisions.
We seek to:
We acquired funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for this work. The DOE has asked us to provide input on how future siting processes can be consent-based. “Consent-based” means an approach that focuses on prioritizing the needs and concerns of the people and communities that would host the facility.
The DOE has asked us to collect input from communities about how to design and run such a voluntary process. Sometime in the next five years, the DOE has plans to begin a consent-based siting process to find a single place to temporarily store the spent nuclear fuel that is presently held at about 80 locations across the USA.
Nothing in the work we are offering to do with you will in any way suggest that your community is interested in engaging with DOE about any topic in the future, nor will it oblige you to participate in any kind of future discussions with any government agency or private party about any kind of infrastructure project.
How to solve problems and make decisions collaboratively
Time: Approximately 4 hours
Mode: In person
Description: About 10-25 people will gather to learn and practice problem-solving skills together. The workshop leaves you feeling better able to communicate with your peers effectively.
The committee will include staff from local and regional government as well as community leaders and stakeholders. The committee will decide for itself when and where to meet, but we expect it will meet a minimum of three times for about 2 hours each time.
We anticipate making grants of $50,000 – $100,000 to 6-12 communities in 2024-2025.
The purpose of the grants is to pay people for their time. The grants will be made to the designated community entity, which will distribute the funds. The application process for the grants is simple and straightforward.
Before the workshops, we would like to talk one-on-one with about 10 people who are regional/local government staff or community stakeholders to learn more about your community’s history with charged conversations, to understand your community’s strengths and limitations, and to collect input about what the community needs to better engage. We will use this information to make the workshops more relevant to you.
After the workshops, we would like to interview workshop participants to gather their recommendations for how communities could best make decisions about siting controversial infrastructure in the future. The topics we expect to talk about include the following:
Contact:
Brad Sperber, Keystone Policy Center, bsperber@keystone.com
Jessica Routzahn, National Association of Regional Councils, jessica@narc.org
External Advisory Committee
Allison Macfarlane
Allison Macfarlane is the Director, School of Public Policy & Global Affairs, University of British Columbia and former Chair of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. She has also served on the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future.
Jacob Spangenberg
Jacob Spangenberg is a former Mayor of Östhammar, Sweden, who brings unrivalled insight and experience, having led his community over 20 years, shaping its capacity and capability to meaningfully partner and participate in a just, equitable, and successful, consent-based siting process.
Ernest House, Jr.
Ernest House, Jr. is the Director of the Center for Tribal and Indigenous Engagement for the Keystone Policy Center. An enrolled member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, House previously served as Executive Director of the Colorado Commission for Indian Affairs.
Brian Martin
Brian Martin is the Executive Director of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission. Martin has led over 20 public and private infrastructure projects, with specialty in economic development and public participation.
