Building Civic Infrastructures for Just Participation in Energy Industry Projects

Research examining pathways to energy democracy underscores the pivotal role that mobilized publics can play in enacting more just and participatory models of governance. Meaningful public engagement can produce more resilient and less impactful development projects, generatively alter relationships of power between concerned publics and stakeholders in government and industry—and transform how frontline communities make sense of their place within complex socio-ecological technical systems. In this presentation, Dr. Jalbert presents findings from several studies examining how mobilized publics build capacity for just participation in the planning, construction, and operation of fossil-fuel industry projects. In doing so, Dr. Jalbert explores how these sustained engagements lay the groundwork for the durable civic infrastructures necessary in accelerating energy democracy in a post-carbon future, as well as highlights methods useful for scholars pursuing participatory action research in these spaces.

Dr. Jalbert is the new EEB Director of Graduate Studies, we encourage EEB faculty and students to participate in this seminar.