Analytical Methods and Approaches for Water Resources Project Planning (2004) / Chapter Skim
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4 Stakeholder Participation
4 Stakeholder Participation
Pages 73-86
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From page 73... ...
. The Corps Institute for Water Resources was one of the first federal natural resource agencies to fund research and training in the field of public involvement (Creighton, 1983)
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From page 74... ...
Stakeholder participation should be viewed more as a general principle applied in varied settings than a specific technique for wide application. One observer within the Corps explained this as follows: Public involvement is not a technique, but a strategy, approach or philosophy.
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From page 75... ...
Although it is now acknowledged that planning practices may vary according to context, contemporary expectations are that stakeholder participation should aspire to two-way communication, early and sustained public involvement, deliberations involving informal personal processes, and representation of all interests. Four cases of contemporary Corps project planning were considered in this study in order to learn more about Corps planning procedures and public involvement in different districts (Chapter 1 of this report lists those case studies)
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From page 76... ...
Several factors may have contributed to this extensive stakeholder participation: Houston had a local sponsor committed to environmentally-responsible project implementation; natural resources agencies and user groups were more unified, vocal, and forceful in the Houston harbor expansion; and environmental concerns raised at each review level were acted on within the Houston-Galveston district and at the national level. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that participation does not always proceed in this fashion.
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From page 77... ...
. Public education is part of a larger process that involves the development of public decision-making capacity with the intent of enhancing public involvement in decision making.
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From page 78... ...
· Process design. This involves establishing key parameters in the planning process, such as the appropriate scale that captures the full impact of a project and the full range of affected stakeholders (see the 216 study report on river basins and coastal systems for more detailed discussion of the issue of appropriate scales of planning)
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From page 79... ...
Most importantly, it is not clear it produces inputs that are actually incorporated into project planning. Public hearings are often held late in the planning process, and the forums tend to degenerate into posturing on the part of various special interest groups, resulting in little dialogue, mutual learning, or potential for consensus.
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From page 80... ...
Second, although focus group participants may be randomly selected, they are relatively small and the views presented in the discussions may not be representative of the general population or of targeted subpopulations. Effective planning processes must integrate analysis based on scientific and technical inputs, with deliberation in a public forum that allows for meaningful participation of all affected stakeholders.
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From page 81... ...
. STATE OF CORPS PRACTICES The overarching goal of public involvement for the Corps is to "open and maintain channels of communication with the public in order to give full consideration of public views and information in the planning process" (USACE, 2000; ER 105-2-100: 2-15)
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From page 82... ...
Corps guidance recommends that a public involvement strategy include several components that create opportunities for evaluation of stakeholder participation: a description of the preliminary consultation activities that led to development of the public involvement approach, including the agencies, groups, and individuals consulted; an identification of the public involvement expertise and effort that may be needed from various organizational units; and determination of the appropriate review points at which to evaluate the structure and function of the public involvement program. These practices grew out of a legal and institutional foundation for stakeholder participation established in the Corps during the 1970s.
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From page 83... ...
· Increase interaction and communication with stakeholders. Greater emphasis on locally initiated public involvement coincided with the Corps' requirement for greater cost-sharing in civil works projects pursuant to the 1986 Water Resources Development Act.
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From page 84... ...
The tendency to equate stakeholder participation with local project sponsorship potentially narrows stakeholder participation, but also introduces the possibility of considerable variation in the level and effectiveness of public involvement. Systematic support and expectations for stakeholder participation (along with comprehensive, watershed scale planning)
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From page 85... ...
Although it is required in all project planning, the design and conduct of stakeholder participation takes place at the district or local level with only very general standards grounded in legal requirements, such as those associated with the National Environmental Policy Act. Local cost-sharing and the potential to count public involvement as an in-kind cost-shared contribution create the potential for wide variation in the level and effectiveness of stakeholder participation.
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From page 86... ...
Yet as this chapter has explained, stakeholder involvement in project planning is essential and a potentially useful approach to implementing projects that reflect complex social and political differences and that can be adjusted to changing conditions following project implementation. Even agreement on small steps or objectives will provide some common ground for stakeholder collaboration, which can be useful in helping shape and refine objectives through the planning process.
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