Pit & Quarry, May 2015

COMMUNI TY RELAT IONS for at least a few more years the towns mayor wanted to ensure that the community had another sustainable source of water for future use Under the plan the town would be able to build a pumping facility and pipeline to transfer the water which would be diverted to the treatment plant at no cost to the town Mutual understanding Local government outreach sessions conducted by the Washington State Governors Office of Regulatory Assistance ORA led to a report defining several top themes to improve the permitting process One of their top themes is building a mutual understanding by bringing agencies the industry elected officials and the public together to educate all parties on the how and why of the permitting process and to determine how to be more effective during permit review The report details several approaches to stimulate ongoing process improvements 1 Provide a forum or technical seminar for industries and permitting departments to better understand each others requirements and objectives A seminar when combined with opportunities to talk informally allows participants to put faces to names and fosters working relationships that ease permit coordination later on Explaining why things work the way they do can dissolve misconceptions that cloud the permit process 2 Similarly the report also suggests providing training or discussion forums for educating staff and local citizens on how permitting works what reviewers consider how to make influential comments to reviewers and varying agency roles in the process This approach prepares citizens for the process ahead and adds a human dimension to an otherwise obscure process 3 Emphasize the importance of education for staff and an understanding of the entire regulatory picture Agency directors sometimes with the support from elected leaders provide inter departmental and inter agency staff groups with an opportunity and direction to learn from each other about each programs goals respective procedures and why a department or program operates as it does 4 Elected leaders should be encouraged to attend these sessions to gain an understanding of the range of issues and priorities that enter into permit processing discussions This helps officials to better respond to constituents and can inform their thinking about how to plan and budget for appropriate levels of service in the various departments 5 Engage all reviewers stakeholders and concerned citizens early in the process so that critical design requirements and constraints can be identified and resolved without surprise and rework late in the process Many jurisdictions particularly those in urban settings encourage applicants to talk with neighbors before formal submittal Some require mandatory neighborhood meetings where applicants can learn about site history potential areas of concern and appeals and what changes to the project might deflect a controversial issue Marketing campaign Successful permitting involves good sales and marketing skills Just as in any effective marketing and PR campaign the project must be anchored upon an attractive theme that makes the project easier for people to accept The theme may involve much needed jobs or an environmental spin such as minimizing greenhouse gas emissions via the elimination of heavy truck traffic Benchmark Resources stresses the latter issues and all other issues that educate the public as to why a nearby source of aggregate is beneficial to them Operations may wish to conduct research on what themes have been successful for other producers and tailor them to their specific needs The Saint Consulting Group Founder and CEO P Michael Saint puts it this way To win a land use battle one must consider the project to be like a candidate and then create and implement a winning campaign strategy to elect that project Polling petitioning grassroots organizing meetings lawn signs supporter databases social media telephone town halls video petitions and other political campaign tools should be used to identify educate organize and harness the political power of real voters who want the project built Saint and two of his colleagues Robert Flavell and Patrick Fox have written NIMBY Wars The Politics of Land Use The book teaches how to create a campaign plan craft a message identify and connect with supportive residents secure press coverage and neutralize attacks Reclamation plan According to Christopher Hopkins of The Saint Consulting Group a comprehensive and properly targeted reclamation plan is essential in gaining community support and overcoming opposition when pursuing a quarry permit City and county planners agree that a solid plan is often the key in gaining approval Hopkins says that more than a decade ago reclamation plans often suggested a landfill be created when material reserves were exhausted However todays climate indicates the latter as one of the most unwanted alternatives Instead community planners prefer natural habitats parks lakes trails and golf courses being created atop filled quarries Typically the life span of the quarry dictates just how specific the reclamation plan must be A shorter operational timeframe of 10 to 20 years requires more plan specificity Proposed quarry permits with 40 or more years of reserves obviously require some amount of fluidity in reclamation planning as of In terms of reclamation community planners prefer natural habitats parks lakes trails and golf courses being created atop filled quarries www pitandquarry com May 2015 PIT QUARRY 35