Public consultation and risk communication: The brave new world

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:414779

Denstedt, S; Verchere, B J

The general theme of the paper will be the increasing awareness of the public and ENGOs about environmental issues and perceived impacts of the oil and gas industry. The focus of the paper will be on the public consultation process and bow the risks associated with oil and gas development are communicated to the public. The paper will review how the public consultation process has changed and the demands that stakeholders are making on the industry for constructive input into projects and information on the impacts of projects. The paper will consider the types of risk that oil and gas projects present: (1) Impacts on air quality and related quality of life and health impacts; (2) Contamination (soil and groundwater) that impact on environment, land values, and health; (3) Worst case {open_quotes}catastrophe{close_quotes} scenarios and impact on public safety; and (4) Perceived impacts of the public on quality of life. As part of this section, the paper will consider a number of examples of projects in Alberta. Finally, the paper will consider how a company should approach public consultation and risk communication. The paper`s conclusion will be that a proponent should consult broadly and present clearly the negative and positive impacts of the proposed project with a goal of creating an informed public, not to convince the public that the project is in its best interest. The paper will also conclude that today`s public and environmental groups are more sophisticated and more organized than in the past. Regulatory authorities are demanding that accurate and comprehensive information be provided to stakeholders with a result that more and better information will be required up front which will mean longer timelines for projects to get approved.

• OSTI ID: 414779
• Report Number(s): CONF-960623--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
ACCIDENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
INFORMATION DISSEMINATION
NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
POLLUTION
PUBLIC HEALTH
PUBLIC INFORMATION
RISK ASSESSMENT
SAFETY