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THE IMPORTANCE OF DEFINING TECHNICAL ISSUES IN <br />INTER AGENCYENVIRONMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS <br />Berton Lee Lamb <br />Social, Economic, & Institutional Analysis Section <br />Midcontinent Ecological Science Center <br />National Biological Service <br />4512 McMurry Ave. <br />Fort Collins, CO 80525-3400. <br />Nina Burkardt <br />Johnson Controls World Services, Inc. <br />and <br />Jonathan G. Taylor <br />Midcontinent Ecological Science <br />Center <br />National Biological Service <br />This is a pre-print of a paper accepted for <br />publication in The Environmental Professional <br />(Manuscript No. 1354). The article is distributed <br />with permission of the Editor. The article may be <br />cited as "in press." <br />ABSTRACT: We studied the role of technical <br />clarity in successful multi-parry negotiations. Our <br />investigations involved in-depth interviews with <br />individuals who were the principal participants in <br />six consultations conducted under the Federal <br />Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) <br />hydroelectric power project licensing process. <br />Technical clarity was especially important in the <br />cases we studied because they concerned questions <br />that were science-based. The principal issues in the <br />six cases were fish passage, instream flow for fish <br />habitat, and entrainment of fish in hydropower <br />turbines. We concluded that technical clarity was <br />one of the most critical elements in these conflicts. <br />The most successful negotiations were marked by a <br />shared understanding of technical issues among the <br />parties.