271-2 Connecting Oregonians to Geologic Carbon Storage Through Innovative and Flexible Community Engagement and Outreach Strategies.

Session: Geologic Energy Resources and Storage for Now and the Future (Posters)

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The State of Oregon is researching and assessing the viability of geologic carbon storage (GCS) in the Columbia River Basalt Group in north-central Oregon. This work supports an ambitious plan for the State to reduce carbon emissions and reach net-zero by 2050. An essential part of this work is outreach and engagement with potentially impacted communities, including, but not limited to, rural Oregonians and Tribal Nations.

The purpose of the initial phase of outreach and engagement work is to provide an empirical foundation for future GCS outreach and engagement activities in Oregon. We aim to better understand community perspectives of GCS through the collection of demographic data, information on environmental burdens, and understanding cultural and historical perspectives unique to Oregon’s communities. Data will be compiled into community profiles for use in planning communications strategies, developing messaging, addressing accessibility challenges, and anticipating potential areas of contention. Additionally, this work will survey literature on best practices for outreach and engagement for GCS. Together, this research approach will lead to the development of an Oregon-specific GCS outreach and engagement strategy and a framework that can be used to develop plans for GCS projects in other jurisdictions.

Preliminary results have identified important factors related to community diversity, poverty, ongoing environmental burdens, and issues associated with historical interactions between Tribal Nations and state agencies. Oregon’s population diversity strongly emphasizes the need for innovative and flexible outreach and engagement strategies that reach across demographic and language barriers. Communities in north-central Oregon are also facing ongoing issues related to groundwater quality and quantity that must be considered when planning outreach. GCS outreach and engagement strategies will, therefore, focus on factors that include providing broadly accessible information in hard copy and digital formats, and ensuring the relevance of information to all interested parties. We aim to contextualize and demonstrate that GCS research and development will contribute to overall community wellbeing, while moving Oregon towards its robust carbon management goals.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-7799

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