John S. McCain III
National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution

Areas of Expertise - Energy

In today’s world, energy is the lifeblood of our cities, transportation systems, industries, homes, and workplaces. We rely on energy in our everyday activities. The processes involved in the development, production, transmission, and distribution of both renewable and traditional sources can, however, affect the health of humans and wildlife, the preservation of our natural and cultural resources, and the sustainability of our livelihoods and communities. Both the impacts of energy generation and its benefits can fall unequally on different populations, with marginalized communities bearing many of the burdens while reaping few of the gains. Every step in the creation and distribution of energy resources can raise challenging and complex questions for communities and decision makers. Moreover, the participants in these decisions and those affected by the outcomes are many and varied, including landowners; energy companies; utilities; local community members; environmental and wildlife advocacy groups; Native Nations; and Local, State, and Federal agencies.

The National Center can help these different groups work together to understand each other better and find ways to resolve competing priorities and needs. We can help groups reach a better understanding of potential impacts through a shared exploration of relevant scientific information, indigenous knowledge, and socioeconomic considerations, and, if needed, identify experts who are trusted by all involved. The National Center can foster dialogue between Native Nations, communities, companies, and government agencies to identify community energy needs, as well as plan for their energy use and climate resilience in ways that align with community values. We also identify the range of voices—including historically marginalized ones—affected by energy decisions and design pathways to include them in that decision-making.

Our collaboration and conflict resolution services can provide value in the following areas:

• National Environmental Policy Act processes.
• Energy facilities and infrastructure.
• Transmission infrastructure and pipelines.
• Relicensing and decommissioning of energy facilities.
• Site cleanup and remediation.
• Energy and climate policy development.
• Energy distribution systems.
• Community planning for energy needs and/or development.
• Climate resilience planning.
• Energy efficiency programs.
• Tribal energy sovereignty and energy resilience planning.
• Training in stakeholder engagement, Tribal engagement, Government-to-Government Consultation, and collaboration and conflict resolution.

Click here to view and download the Energy flyer.