Case Study: State of Vermont boosts public engagement on energy planning with FacilitatePro from Facilitate.com

State of Vermont expands public engagement with Facilitate.com across 4 outreach channels

The State of Vermont faced the challenge of planning its future energy supply as long-term agreements for hydroelectric and nuclear power were set to expire. State legislation required the Department of Public Service to conduct broad public outreach to understand the values and preferences of its citizens. To meet this challenge, the state selected Facilitate.com's FacilitatePro web-based meeting software to power its engagement process.

Using FacilitatePro, Vermont created an online portal for citizens to contribute ideas, participate in discussions, and complete surveys anonymously over several weeks. The solution enabled rich idea exchange and broad participation, with the collected input closely mirroring that from in-person workshops. The clear preferences voiced by citizens provided valuable input for the state's 2008 Comprehensive Energy Plan draft, and Facilitate.com's tools were used again to gather commentary on that draft, ensuring continued public involvement in the process.

State of Vermont