ENV-14-19 Effective Stakeholder Engagement to Support Critcal Capital Projects

Description:

Refiners and petrochemical plant operators face significant challenges in permitting critical new capital projects that are often driven by increasingly stringent environmental regulations. Even regulatory steps that once were routinely approved (such as operating permit renewals) now face heightened public attention due to their collateral association with high-profile issues like climate change and the use of feedstocks derived from controversial sources (e.g., crude-by-rail). Public interest groups and individuals are effectively using the EPA’s emphasis on Environmental Justice to obtain information and concessions related to capital projects. Threats to critical project deadlines can be reduced via effective, early, and continuous engagement with key stakeholders, including government, NGOs and civic organizations, academia, the news media, and local communities.