THE CHALLENGE OF FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATON WITH LOCAL DECISION MAKERS

In communities across the U.S., city councils and planning boards frequently need to make important decisions on development and redevelopment projects that involve characterization/remediation of contaminated properties, water supply, air quality impacts, and similar technical issues. Although these councils and boards rarely include scientists and engineers, these technical issues are often of great community concern and thus central to the decision making process.

The public debates and deliberations related to such environmental issues provide an important opportunity for geoscientists to contribute sound science to the public policy dialogue. They also present a significant challenge as the geoscientist must provide a functional translation of complex technical concepts and issues to support the decisions of non-technical citizen politicians. The redevelopment of a major aerospace facility will be used as a case study example of the challenges and approaches to functional participation in this widespread aspect of the public policy dialogue.