Instance of recurrent flooding at Naval Station Norfolk (Photo by Ian Swoveland / U.S. Naval Station Norfolk)

Public-Public Partnerships Reveal Best Practices for Incorporating Climate and Energy Resilience into Master Plans

By Cameron Steagall Middlebury Institute of International Studies, International Environmental
Policy ‘20

The Department of Defense first recognized climate change as a risk to national security in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) FY 1991. The NDAA FY 2020 called for installations to incorporate energy, climate, and cyber resiliency measures into master plans. While installations and DoD cannot protect entire communities from the effects of climate change, their resilience to its effects may mean the difference between safeguarding those communities from domestic and foreign threats. This summer, the Energy Academic Group undertook an analysis to analyze and offer the best practices for partnerships between DoD and municipal governments that can advance installation resiliency. The analysis focuses on a vital element of climate and energy resiliency: public-public partnerships.

The primary partnerships analyzed were the Hampton Roads Sea Level Rise Preparedness and Resilience Intergovernmental Pilot Project (known as the IPP), the Monterey Model, Presidio of Monterey partnership, and intergovernmental support agreements. The report details the following best practices:

• Information Sharing
• Institutional Knowledge
• Relationship Building
• Prioritization of Resiliency
• Necessity of a Convener
• Customization

The findings target the cultivation of relationships to increase efficiency and productivity of partnerships geared toward increased resiliency. The research serves as a guide to help Planning Liaison Officers and municipalities build from existing relationships and policy structures to tackle the resiliency needs of communities and DoD installations.

LEARN MORE

Report available at https://nps.edu/web/eag/intern-research

Contact Cameron Steagall at steagalljames@gmail.com or Kristen Fletcher at kristen.fletcher@nps.edu