The Gas and Preservation Partnership (GAPP) held its inaugural Summit, Honoring Our History-Fueling Our Future, in Pittsburgh on March 21, 2014 at the Fairmont Hotel. Attendees discussed how to simultaneously and collaboratively encourage energy exploration and protect important historic resources in and around the areas of potential impact of such exploration.
An overflow crowd of 130 professionals included executives from energy companies, including supermajors, energy industry trade associations, cultural resource management firms, engineering firms, state and national professional archaeological associations, state government historic preservation offices, tribal agencies, academic institutions, and law and business consulting firms.
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette provided front page coverage of the event (available here), and an Associated Press article appeared in twenty major newspapers nationwide (available here).
The summit advanced three objectives:
- Educate the energy industry about the social and economic importance and methodologies of cultural resource preservation;
- Educate the preservation community about the economic and geopolitical importance and methodologies of energy development; and,
- Develop the business case for working together to develop voluntary practices that advance energy exploration while protecting the most important cultural resources.
Perhaps the greatest accomplishment was overcoming healthy skepticism from many attendees that in the midst of the nation’s highly contentious political environment, two seemingly different interest groups could forge an alliance of mutual benefit based on shared values and compromise. That is not to say GAPP’s job is done, but some essential trust was built in Pittsburgh which will facilitate joint solution-building in the months ahead.
Please check the GAPP conference webpage for updates such as video and photo coverage, speakers’ PowerPoint slides, and a concise summary of the main points from each session.
Next steps in GAPP’s efforts are to:
- Continue to build the GAPP governing board to expand strategic resources and to reflect (as it does now) equal representation from industry and the preservation community.
- Guide GAPP’s four working groups to the production of their respective components of a set of draft voluntary best practices for circulation and feedback. See GAPP working group descriptions here: http://gasandpreservation.org/working-groups/
- Expand the dialogue to include other energy industries, including solar, wind and electric.
GAPP welcomes new participants. If your company may be interested in becoming more involved as a board member, financial or promotional supporter, or through membership in one of GAPP’s working groups, please get in touch.
Working Groups: workinggroups@gasandpreservation.org
Sponsorship and General Questions: info@gasandpreservation.org