About Us
How we started:
Congress established the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution in 1998. The U.S. Institute's mission is to help resolve environmental disputes that involve the federal government, by providing mediation, training and related services.
Included within the term "environmental" disputes are conflicts related to the environment, public lands and natural resources. Congress also directed the U.S. Institute to work to further the implementation of our National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by providing negotiation, mediation, and other settlement efforts as alternatives to litigation.
Congress placed the U.S. Institute within the Morris K. Udall Foundation. The Foundation is an independent federal agency based in Tucson, Arizona. As a result, the U.S. Institute is part of the federal government - but it is completely independent of all other federal agencies. Congressional sponsors of the legislation creating the Institute thought it was appropriate for it to be part of the Udall Foundation, as Sen. John McCain said, because Morris Udall's career "was distinguished by his integrity, service and commitment to consensus-building."
More information on the Udall Foundation is available at udall.gov.
Mission and Goals:
The U.S. Institute has three primary goals:
* Resolve environmental conflicts and improve environmental decision-making by the appropriate use of ECR through U.S. Institute case services.
* Resolve environmental conflicts and improve environmental decision-making by increasing the capacity of agencies and other affected stakeholders and practitioners to manage and resolve conflicts through the appropriate use of ECR.
* Resolve environmental conflicts and improve environmental decision-making by providing leadership to guide ECR practice and policy development within the federal government.
Agency Overview:
Since 1998 the U.S. Institute has been an impartial entity inside the federal government, independent of other agencies, that provides conflict resolution services to help public and private interests manage and resolve environmental conflicts nationwide. The U.S. Institute carefully guards its independence and impartiality. The Board of Trustees for the Foundation has adopted a strong conflict of interest policy, which emphasizes that the U.S. Institute's dispute resolution work is entirely independent of and without influence from the Board.
Our Staff:
The U.S. Institute is small, with a professional staff of about 22, including the Institute leasdership, senior program managers, project and administrative staff. The Institute provides services nationwide and frequently partners with private-sector mediators and facilitators who are located in the geographic area of a dispute. These outside mediators are among the more than 270 members of the Institute’s National Roster of Environmental Dispute Resolution and Consensus Building Professionals. This resource is also available to anyone searching for an ECR professional at Roster of ECR Practitioners.
In addition to their mediation and facilitation skills, the Institute’s professional staff have backgrounds in many related fields, including law, public policy, natural resource and public lands management, urban planning, air quality, transportation, energy, and Native American issues.
Our Funding
The U.S. Institute gets its funding from two sources: annual appropriations and fees paid for the services it provides.
Federal Appropriations
The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution is a program of the Morris K. Udall Foundation, a federal agency. In fiscal 2007, Congress appropriated $1.9 million for the Institute, which pays a portion of our basic operating expenses.
Funding from Fees
Each year, the Institute generates about $2.5 million to $3.5 million from other groups (primarily other federal agencies, but also state, county and tribal governments, non-governmental organizations and others) in fees for conflict resolution services. Most of this funding is paid to contracted mediators and facilitators who work with the Institute on conflict resolution projects. The balance supplements our basic operating expenses.
Keywords: Environment Conflict Mediation Facilitation Federal Public Land
Interview Q&A
How long have you been in business?
10 years
What is your primary product or service?
Environmental Confilct Resolution services, training and support.
How did you first become interested in your line of business? (if owner) - What is your background? (If owner or store manager)
Congress established the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution in 1998. The U.S. Institute's mission is to help resolve environmental disputes that involve the federal government, by providing mediation, training and related services.
How do you differentiate yourself from other businesses in your category and area?
U.S. Institute is an impartial entity inside the federal government, independent of other agencies, that provides conflict resolution services to help public and private interests manage and resolve environmental conflicts nationwide. The U.S. Institute carefully guards its independence and impartiality.
How many locations do you have and do you have plans to expand?
The Institute is based in Tucson and provides services nationwide and frequently partners with private-sector mediators and facilitators who are located in the geographic area of a dispute. These outside mediators are among the more than 270 members of the Institute’s National Roster of Environmental Dispute Resolution and Consensus Building Professionals.
Which areas do you service?
Nationwide
What are your hours of operation?
Office hours are 8 AM to 5 PM.
Contact U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution:
