INTRODUCTION
In a new article published by Ground Shift, Caliber Partner Janea A. Scott draws on her experience serving at the U.S. Department of the Interior to examine an often overlooked part of the public lands and permitting conversation: the people responsible for implementing policy. As demands on America’s public lands become increasingly complex, Janea makes the case that agency expertise, institutional knowledge, and capacity are essential infrastructure for advancing clean energy development, conservation, and responsible stewardship.
The stewardship of America’s public lands is, at its core, a human endeavor. Policies, statutes, and technologies all play important roles, but none of them substitute for the judgment, experience, and commitment of the people charged with carrying out the mission.
We can modernize laws. We can improve processes. We can deploy new technologies.
Yet none of these actions will succeed without people to carry them out.