Public and stakeholder participation for managing and reducing the risks of shale gas development.
Emerging technologies pose particularly strong challenges for risk governance when they have multidimensional and inequitable impacts, when there is scientific uncertainty about the technology and its risks, when there are strong value conflicts over the perceived benefits and risks, when decisions must be made urgently, and when the decision making environment is rife with mistrust. Shale gas development is one such emerging technology. Drawing on previous U.S. National Research Council committee reports that examined risk decision making for complex issues like these, we point to the benefits and challenges of applying the analytic-deliberative process recommended in those reports for stakeholder and public engagement in risk decision making about shale gas development in the United States. We discuss the different phases of such a process and conclude by noting the dangers of allowing controversy to ossify and the benefits of sound dialogue and learning among publics, stakeholders, industry, and regulatory decision makers.
NorthWorks, Inc. 1715 Taylor Street, San Francisco, California 94133-3607, United States.
D Warner
DW
North
Paul C
PC
Stern
Thomas
T
Webler
Patrick
P
Field
D003256:Community Participation; D003657:Decision Making; D019652:Extraction and Processing Industry; D006801:Humans; D059206:Natural Gas; D011640:Public Policy; D012306:Risk; D014481:United States
D059206:Natural Gas