Resolving
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Intractable
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Conflict
With over 25 years of experience as a public policy mediator and facilitator, I help governments, businesses, and non-profits throughout the U.S. resolve difficult conflict situations and make effective strategic decisions. Focusing on environmental and natural resource issues, my work has ranged from community forums to national policy initiatives. My background as a Professional Engineer, combined with a proven track record of mediation and facilitation, equips me to handle the most challenging and complex situations.
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HIGHLIGHTED PROJECTS
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GOWANUS CANAL CLEANUP
The Gowanus Canal is one of the nation's most polluted waterbodies, located in the heart of Brooklyn, NY, one of the nation's most diverse urban environments. Jeff was brought in by U.S. EPA to convene and facilitate a 60 member Community Advisory Group for the $500 million hotly-contested and highly politicized cleanup. Nine years into this long-term project, the group is still going strong.
OHIO-KENTUCKY INTERSTATE DISPUTE
Jeff successfully mediated a complex cross-border litigation over drinking water and wastewater issues involving the State of Kentucky, the City of Cincinnati and the U.S. EPA. This situation highlighted key issues related to the intersection between the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. The parties signed a settlement agreement resolving all aspects of the dispute.
WYOMING "FRACKING" PROJECT
The Pinedale Anticline Project was one of the first hydro-fracturing ("fracking") projects in the country, located in the highly sensitive Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Jeff facilitated the Federal Advisory Committee for this highly controversial project, helping its opposing members from the environmental community, natural gas drillers, ranchers, and local communities, reach agreement on management recommendations.
INTERNATIONAL OIL PIPELINE
Spurred by a bitterly-fought referendum battle, the City of South Portland (Maine) convened a municipal committee to draft an ordinance to prevent Tar Sands from being through transported through the city via the Portland-Montreal Pipeline. With Jeff's guidance, the committee drafted an ordinance that was enacted with nearly unanimous City Council support and has withstood over four years of constitutional legal challenges.
U.S. COASTAL MANAGEMENT
Jeff organized and led the facilitation team for NOAA's national initiative - titled Envisioning the Future of Coastal Management - to establish a new framework for U.S. coastal management and to reauthorize the landmark Coastal Zone Management Act. The outcomes of the initiative served as the foundation for legislation submitted to Congress and for a variety of programmatic initiatives within the federal government.