Navigating Interagency Coordination: Strategies for Effective Collaboration

Description

This course empowers participants to navigate the complexities of interagency coordination during the NEPA process, with an emphasis on strategies for improving communication and streamlining workflows. Participants will learn techniques for building collaborative relationships, resolving conflicts, and aligning priorities across federal, state, and local agencies. By enhancing coordination, attendees will be better equipped to avoid delays, reduce redundancies, and achieve more efficient and effective project outcomes.

Objectives

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to do the following:

  • Understand the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ’s) guidance on cooperating agencies

  • Identify points of opportunity for cooperation and collaboration within the NEPA process

  • Understand cooperating agencies’ roles and responsibilities

  • Understand strategic planning and its role

  • Generate a collaborative model for alternatives

  • Write clear, easy-to-understand Memorandums Of Understanding (MOUs) that work

  • Understand the objection process and administrative appeal process

Content

We tailor each workshop to meet the needs of the participants. The basic format of the interactive workshop includes the following components:

  • Understanding NEPA Laws and CEQ Regulations
    Review the NEPA process and points of opportunity for cooperation and collaboration. Understand CEQ’s guidance on cooperating agencies, NEPA’s relationship with other laws, and case law important to cooperating agency status.

  • Opportunities for Collaboration
    Explore guidelines and examples, key areas of cooperation, generation of alternatives, and analysis of environmental effects.

  • Developing a Communication Strategy
    Understand the purpose of a Communication Strategy and what communication elements should be included in an effective strategy.

Audience

Participants for this training generally include those who are involved in collaborative activity among Federal, State, Local and Tribal governments.

Process

Cooperating Agencies and Facilitation of Cooperative Conservation is a highly interactive workshop designed to promote cooperative conservation, with an emphasis on appropriate inclusion of participation. For optimal learning, class size is limited to between 20 and 30 participants.

This 2- or 3-day workshop consists of a carefully designed combination of the following:

  • 10% Lecture

  • 30% Discussion

  • 60% Exercises

Materials

Participants receive the following:

  • Comprehensive workshop manual

  • Documentation Strategies for Environmental Writers: Entries Reprinted from the Franklin Covey Style Guide