Good Neighbors—Local Permitting & Rural Community Engagement

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM MT

Location: International Center North

Moderator(s)

Matthew Wagner, MSE, PE

Renewable Energy Development Manager
DTE Energy
Detroit, Michigan

Handouts

Speaker(s)

Alan Claus Anderson, JD

Chair, Energy Law Practice Group
Polsinelli PC
Kansas City, Missouri
AB

Andy Berke

Handouts
Mary Grikas (she/her/hers)

SVP Marketing & Community Relations US
Lightsource bp
San Francisco, California
Christopher Ollson, PhD

Environmental Health Scientist
Ollson Environmental Health Management (OEHM)
Ancaster, Ontario
Rikki Seguin (she/her/hers)

Executive Director
Interwest Energy Alliance

Local engagement is increasingly essential for renewable energy development. The field is rapidly shifting, as local permitting battles rise, and federal funding expectations are evolving. The panel will be joined by USDA Rural Utilities Service Administrator Andy Berke, who will provide an overview of the recent DOE-USDA listening sessions on siting clean energy in rural communities including insights on what are stakeholders are expressing to federal agencies and what USDA is asking renewable developers to do in terms of community engagement. The panelists will discuss community engagement approaches, lessons learned, and emerging innovations.