Energy Project Public Engagement in a Changing World

October 27, 2020 | Online ::

1020-public-engagement

Energy infrastructure projects can be characterized by high perceived risk and low stakeholder trust.  A balance must be struck between the need for additional energy development and landowner priorities, environmental impact considerations and regulatory compliance.

A comprehensive strategic public engagement process is a key tenet to the success of any energy project.  Whether it be transmission or a renewable project, all stakeholders must be engaged throughout the process, using a wide variety of communication and engagement techniques that are tailored to the needs of each stakeholder.  But how do you tackle this daunting challenge and especially now in this changing world of COVID-19?

As an attendee of this EUCI virtual symposium, you will hear lessons learned from leading professionals. You will learn the strategies and methods they use to positively engage stakeholders, build trust with the community, and overcome project obstacles.  From this symposium, you will obtain practical tools and techniques that can be immediately implemented within your own organization to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your public engagement program.

Learning Outcomes

• Review best practices for project consensus building
• Discuss best practices for engaging challenging conversations
• Review ways of creating stakeholder equity in public participation conversations
• Describe some methods and ways to improve engaging stakeholders virtually
• Visualize different ways of post-pandemic outreach and engagement
• Engage in this panel discussion on how COVID-19 has affected public engagement
• Discuss the value of public engagement and how to sell it to management within your own organization
• List some methods for leveraging key stakeholders for project promotion

Credits

EUCI is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 0.6 CEUs for this event.

 

Instructional Methods

Case studies, PowerPoint presentations and group discussion will be used in this event.

Requirements For Successful Completion Of Program

Participants must log in each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the course to be eligible for continuing education credit.

Tuesday, October 27,2020  – Central Time

9:00 – 9:10 a.m. :: Log In

9:10 – 9:15 a.m. :: Introductions  

9:15 – 10:00 a.m. :: Consensus Building

Public Engagement is a challenging process and one that must include getting many on your side for a project to be successful. This discussion will cover best practices for building a consensus through your stakeholder engagement.

Gregory Mathe, Manager – Electric Transmission Communications, Dominion Energy

10:00 – 10:05 a.m. :: Break

10:05 – 10:50 a.m. :: Best Practices for Responding to Project Criticism

Even the most proactive, thorough, and creative outreach efforts are not immune to project opposition. As political and social pressure on essential infrastructure increases, utility investment in community outreach and stakeholder management strategies are more important now than they have ever been. This discussion will share some best practices on engaging challenging conversations, using clear and concise language, building long-term relationships with stakeholders, and turning opposition in allies.

Joe Fedele, Stakeholder Management, National Grid

10:50 – 10:55 a.m. :: Break

10:55 a.m. – 11:40 p.m. :: Washington State Conversations on Equity in Public Participation

Washington UTC is in the middle of rulemakings to implement the state’s Clean Energy Transformation Act, which sets binding goals for non-carbon emitting resources for Washington electric utilities and includes numerous equity provisions. This presentation will discuss stakeholder conversations around equity in public participation, including access and targeted outreach.

Kate Griffith, Energy Policy Advisor, Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission

11:40 a.m.– 12:25 p.m. :: Lunch Break

12:25 – 1:10 p.m. :: Virtual Stakeholder Engagement: Changing the Way We Communicate

The AEP Transmission Project Outreach team faced challenges last spring when cases of COVID-19 began to be reported in the U.S. As the reported number of cases increased, AEP implemented safety procedures for employees which included no external meetings. The job of communicating large projects with communities changed overnight and the project outreach team pivoted to a new way of communication. The team re-visited existing practices and began to look for new ways to effectively communicate to affected landowners and key stakeholders. By implementing different ways of stakeholder communications, the team has learned what works and what doesn’t as well as how people respond in a virtual world. We continue to work to develop tools and enhance our stakeholders’ experience, one project at a time.

Juliet Capeheart, Manager Transmission Project Outreach, American Electric Power

1:10 – 1:15 p.m. :: Break 

1:15 – 2:00 p.m. :: 2020 Post-Pandemic Public Participation

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting social distancing has redefined how public outreach and engagement can be accomplished on energy projects. This presentation will highlight some ways that Tampa Electric will utilize in their post-pandemic outreach and engagement.

1. Public Outreach & Engagement Beyond the Pandemic
2. Virtual Outreach

Arlee Jones PgMP®, EVMP®, Project Manager II – ED Project Management, Tampa Electric

2:00 – 2:05 p.m. :: Break

2:05 – 2:50 p.m. :: How COVID-19 has Affected Public Engagement Panel Discussion

This question and answer session will give attendees a chance to ask these utility professionals about how their companies have prepared, executed, and tracked engagement with stakeholders during these work-from-home pandemic times.

Sophia O’Keefe, Manager, Transmission Engagement, Duke Energy

Tiffany Taylor-Minor, Project Communications Manager, Dominion Energy

Kendra McAuliffe, Stakeholder Specialist, National Grid

2:50 – 2:55 p.m. :: Break

2:55 – 3:40 p.m. :: How to Measure the Value of Public Engagement?

While utilities are increasingly devoting staff, money, and time to build out the public engagement functions in their organizations, professionals in these externally facing roles still struggle to demonstrate the value they bring to their organizations.  This discussion will not only uncover some methods to clearly demonstrate to your senior leadership the both value of public engagement, but also detail how you can best “sell” your value in your organization.

Marc Lucas, Esq., Director of Major Permits and Stakeholder Management, National Grid

3:40 – 3:45 p.m. :: Break

3:45 – 4:30 p.m. :: Leveraging Key Stakeholders to Promote a Project

Leveraging unions, civic and business organizations, and other external key stakeholders to promote a project is key to a project’s success. It is a crucial part of the process that can not be avoided. From valuable project experience, comes methods and best practices for doing this.  These will be discussed along with project examples in this presentation.

Tiffany Taylor-Minor, Project Communications Manager, Dominion Energy

Jon Berkin, Partner, ERM

Liz Valsamidis, Principal Consultant, ERM

4:30 – 4:40 p.m. :: Program Wrap-up

• Jon Berkin, Partner, ERM

• Juliet Capeheart, Manager Transmission Project Outreach, American Electric Power

• Joe Fedele, Stakeholder Management, National Grid

• Kate Griffith, Energy Policy Advisor, Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission

• Arlee Jones PgMP®, EVMP®, Project Manager II – ED Project Management, Tampa Electric

• Marc Lucas, Esq., Director of Major Permits and Stakeholder Management, National Grid

• Gregory Mathe, Manager – Electric Transmission Communications, Dominion Energy

• Kendra McAuliffe, Stakeholder Specialist, National Grid

• Sophia O’Keefe, Manager, Transmission Engagement, Duke Energy

• Tiffany Taylor-Minor, Project Communications Manager, Dominion Energy

• Liz Valsamidis, Principal Consultant, ERM

We will be using Microsoft Teams to facilitate your participation in the upcoming event. You do not need to have an existing Teams account in order to participate in the broadcast – the course will play in your browser and you will have the option of using a microphone to speak with the room and ask questions, or type any questions in via the chat window and our on-site representative will relay your question to the instructor.

• You will receive a meeting invitation will include a link to join the meeting.
• Separate meeting invitations will be sent for the morning and afternoon sessions of the course.
  • You will need to join the appropriate meeting at the appropriate time.
• If you are using a microphone, please ensure that it is muted until such time as you need to ask a question.
• The remote meeting connection will be open approximately 30 minutes before the start of the course. We encourage you to connect as early as possible in case you experience any unforeseen problems.

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS EVENT:

Energy Project Public Engagement in a Changing World

October 27, 2020 | Online

Buy 4 in-person seats and only pay for 3! For this event every fourth in-person attendee is free!

Your registration may be transferred to a member of your organization up to 24 hours in advance of the event. Cancellations must be received on or before September 25, 2020 in order to be refunded and will be subject to a US $195.00 processing fee per registrant. No refunds will be made after this date. Cancellations received after this date will create a credit of the tuition (less processing fee) good toward any other EUCI event. This credit will be good for six months from the cancellation date. In the event of non-attendance, all registration fees will be forfeited. In case of conference cancellation, EUCIs liability is limited to refund of the event registration fee only. For more information regarding administrative policies, such as complaints and refunds, please contact our offices at 303-770-8800