Developing Information in Wind

Siting: Joint Fact-Finding

Stacie Nicole Smith
October 26, 2012
2012 The Consensus Building Institute
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Overcoming the Myth of Science
A myth has grown up in the midst of natural
resource decision making [that] good science can, by
itself, somehow make difficult natural resources
decisions for us and relieve us of the necessity to
engage in the hard work of democratic deliberations
that must finally shoulder the weight of those
decisions.

Mark Rey, Assistant Secretary, USDA

2012 The Consensus Building Institute
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Its not just about information
We tend to treat problems as information
problems or a technical problems. We assume
more information = better results
Since I know a lot and think X, if more people
know what I know, theyll think X too.
Assume people base their decisions and support
based on knowledge and information
Biased assimilation:
If you are predisposed favorably toward wind
energy, presentation of more information will
likely increase your support
If you are predisposed unfavorably toward wind
energy, presentation of more information will
likely decrease your support

2012 The Consensus Building Institute
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The limits of Facts
People think in stories not
statistics
Cognitive biases tend to filter out
information that does not support
ones predetermined view of issues
The human mind tends to reach
conclusions first, rationales
second
The human mind tends to double
down on beliefs in the face of
facts that threaten or challenge that
belief
2012 The Consensus Building Institute
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Adversarial Science
On contentious public policy issues, advocates seek (or are
perceived as seeking) to prevail rather than to uncover the
truth. Rather than being a common resource to inform
wise decision-making, science is used by each side to back
up their views.
Uncertainty, which always exists in complex situations,
becomes fodder to prevent decisions opposed by one group
or individual.
Dueling Scientists, with different interpretations or
different data, are pitted against each other, thereby
canceling out what they have to say.

2012 The Consensus Building Institute
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Undesired Outcomes: Science Under Attack
Scientific and technical knowledge is central to wind
siting:
Cost benefit analyses
Studies of environmental and noise impacts
Biological studies
Data generated from scientific studies is needed to
determine whether specific sites are appropriate.
When there is inadequate public participation in
information-making, science can more easily become a
proxy for pre-existing beliefs and underlying interests,
impacts, and values.

2012 The Consensus Building Institute
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Public Participation in Information-Making
To be more effective, science used in public
policymaking needs to:
scope environmental, health, and natural resource
problems effectively
generate useful forecasts of what is likely to happen if
nothing is done and how various responses might
work, and
assist stakeholders in selecting among possible
responses even when they have very different levels of
scientific and technical capability.

2012 The Consensus Building Institute
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Joint Fact Finding

Joint Fact Finding is a collaborative procedure
for involving those affected by policy decisions
in the continual process of generating and
analyzing the scientific and technical
information used to inform value-laden
decisions.

2012 The Consensus Building Institute
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What Joint Fact Finding Does
Bring together stakeholders (including decision-makers
and experts) to seek agreement on:
Nature of the problem
What we know, dont know, and need to know
How to collect, analyze, and present information
Produce information that is:
Publically and politically credible
Scientifically legitimate
Relevant (useful or salient)
An approach to resolve scientific disagreements and
maximize public participation


2012 The Consensus Building Institute
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Joint Fact-Finding Process
2012 The Consensus Building Institute
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Five Principles of JFF
1. Clarify the questions jointly before
gathering more data
2. Focus on decision-relevant information
3. Clarify the role of science and experts
4. Learn Together
5. Use contingent agreements to deal with
uncertainty