Joint Fact Finding with the United States Geological Survey

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CBI Practitioners: 
Lawrence Susskind

 

In winter of 2004, CBI partnered with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to prepare and deliver a one-day workshop for the agency’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) that focused on the role of joint fact-finding (JFF) in USGS’s new Science Impact program. This workshop was a result of close collaboration with USGS and CBI to co-produce the event and materials, and introduce draft policy guidelines developed by both entities outlining the role and responsibilities of the agency and its scientists when it works closely with the public.

 

Background
As a government non-regulatory, research agency, USGS provides research to policy makers on environmental and ecosystem issues to aid them in making policy decisions. Often, USGS is responsible for conducting research in science-intensive environmental disputes that affect multiple stakeholders who have differing interests and levels of scientific understanding. To make matters more complex, environmental disputes by there very nature are multi-disciplinary and encompass a range of scientific, social, and economic issues, all of which impact stakeholders differently. The challenge for USGS is to effectively engage stakeholders and policy makers and make research relevant to them while continuing to maintain scientific excellence in its research. CBI introduced JFF to the ELT as a tool for involving those affected by policy decisions in the continual process of generating and analyzing scientific and technical information used to make decisions.

 

The Workshop
Among the ELT, USGS Director Charles “Chip” Groat attended, as did Lynn Scarlett, the Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary of Policy, Management and Budget. Assistant Secretary Scarlett expressed support and noted that by involving stakeholders in the JFF process, the research conducted by USGS is enriched and studies become more relevant. CBI President Larry Susskind explained the concept, principles, and steps of JFF. A short fictionalized vignette about an environmental dispute highlighted some of the real world problems and dilemmas USGS scientists sometimes find themselves in when working with the public, and allowed ELT members to role up their sleeves and ‘get in the field’ again to provide guidance on the situation described. The “Guidelines for USGS Participation in Science-Intensive Environmental Disputes” (Guidelines) a draft document developed by USGS and CBI to provide guidelines to scientists working in science intensive public policy disputes, was presented to the ELT for its input. Throughout the one-day event discussion was lively and provocative.

 

Next Steps
USGS and CBI developed and held a two-day JFF training in 2002. Since that time the curriculum has been revised and updated. Plans are in the works to use the curriculum to train staff at the regional level and develop a number of JFF projects. Projects will be analyzed and reviewed, with important lessons learned outlined. Parallel to this process of training and practice, USGS plans to revise the guidelines using the excellent feedback from the ELT.

 

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