Public participation in the Oak Ridge Reservation future land use options decision making process: a case study

Public participation and stakeholder involvement in the public policy process is becoming the rule, not the exception, in public policy making today. A distinction must be made between these processes because while the general public is always a stakeholder, stakeholders also include groups with specific interests in the policy formulation. For the purposes of this thesis the public was composed of persons not aligned with a specific interest group and who may or may not be affected by the policy issues at hand. Stakeholders also included members of business or industry groups, a government entities, landowners, and environmental activists, and other individual or group with a legitimate interest in public policy proposals. Increasingly, those affected by public policy dictums are voicing their dissatisfaction with the public policy process. One avenue of this expression is litigation after a policy is implemented. Litigation is an expensive proposition for all parties involved. Not only is it expensive and time consuming, but while the issues drag through the courts, the problems the policy was intended to affect remain unchanged. In an effort to avoid litigation and speed implementation of public policy those charged with the responsibility of drafting it are attempting to engage stakeholders in the policy development process. By involving stakeholders early in the policy making process , it is hoped that the pitfalls of litigation can be avoided and thus speed the implementation process and improve public acceptability of the policy. Stakeholder participation in the policy making process is a means to improve policy decisions. Policy makers lay the foundation for policy acceptance by involving stakeholders and showing respect for their ideas and concerns. This process increases the likelihood of stakeholder acceptance and adherence to the policy because of stakeholder participation in the policy process. The Common Ground Process (CGP) is an example of policy makers soliciting stakeholder input early in the development of alternatives. Specifically, the CGP was undertaken by Martin Marietta Energy Systems (MMES), under the direction of the Department of Energy (DOE), to determine fiitm-e land uses for DOE Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) sites in the Oak Ridge, Tennessee area. MMES Community Relations Department was charged with informing stakeholders of the opportunity to participate in the CGP and to provide avenues for substantive input by stakeholders into future land use options at the ORR. Toward that end several plans for stakeholder involvement were implemented. Two main groups targeted were internal stakeholders , such as those who are employed at MMES, DOE personnel, other DOE contractors, and the Environmental Restoration Division (ERD) at the ORR and the second group was external Stakeholders . This latter group consists of local opinion leaders, government officials, local interested organizations such as the Rotary Club, the Lions Club , the League of Women Voters, and environmental groups