Silent Majority Strategies is a public affairs firm specializing in advocacy for federal, state and local clients with a focus on regulation and permitting.
Regulatory and permitting affairs is critically different from traditional legislative lobbying. Effective advocacy requires a flexible and sophisticated approach that takes advantage of opportunities within the administrative process, while also mastering the politics, political agendas and priorities of the government agency.
Regulatory and permitting issues are all about seizing the agenda and effective advocacy.
The Value of Effective Permitting/Regulatory Advocacy
Effective regulatory advocacy is vital to allow for timely and efficient projects. Our experience is that ineffective permitting strategy leads to significant delays and expenses including:
- Slow Approvals: Regulatory bodies and agencies can move permits forward at their own discretion and such approvals can involve multiple agencies and multiple divisions within an agency for approval. Effective advocacy moves permitting through the approval process and frames the permits such that approval is incentivized.
- Unforced Errors: Permit applications are complex with ambiguous rules and instructions. Ensuring that the correct decisions are made up front is vital for approval.
- Moving the Goalposts: Government agencies and their staff are highly risk averse. They are cautious in their decision-making and default to request additional information and data.
- Onerous Requirements: Agencies can use their discretion to require expensive project modifications and design changes. Requirements for “best available technology” provide wide latitude for staff to interfere with project design and engineering.
SMS has consistently saved clients time and reduced risk of permit appeals and changes and contributed to our clients’ bottom line.
Mike Krancer
Mike Krancer is a former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, serving from 2011 to 2013. He is an experienced and well-known public policy and thought leader in environmental issues and energy development with over 20 years’ experience at the highest corporate and policy-making levels.
During his tenure as Secretary, Mr. Krancer oversaw the implementation of multimedia environmental protection laws and he was a key member of the governor’s team that attracted new and environmentally sensitive economic development to the Commonwealth.
Mr. Krancer also served as Chief Judge and Chairman of Pennsylvania’s Environmental Hearing Board, the state-wide trial/appellate court for environmental matters involving appeals from state regulatory and permitting actions. Mr. Krancer was a litigation partner with a large major national law firm from 1992 to 1999 and again from 2013 to 2017 with a concentration on energy and environmental matters. He was assistant general counsel to Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s largest competitive energy providers and parent of three different utility companies where he was responsible for environmental health and safety matters, as well as energy policy development and government relations for the company.
An experienced and valued advisor to U.S. and global energy companies of all types regarding the full range of legal, public policy, government relations, state and federal regulatory, financial, corporate, and labor matters, Mr. Krancer is a prominent speaker and writer on environmental and energy matters. He has served on the Energy Law360 editorial advisory board and contributed analytical and opinion pieces to Forbes, Roll Call and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Dr. Keith Naughton
Dr. Naughton is co-founder and principal at Silent Majority Strategies with expertise in public choice economics, public policy development, agenda-setting, interest group politics and political behavior.
He is the author of the book, Washington Gold Rush: The Competition for Congressional Earmarks, from his award-winning doctoral work at the University of Southern California, which analyzes the relationship between members of Congress and their constituents.
He is a regular contributor to The Hill, where he discusses polling and intersection of policy and politics. In addition, he has contributed to the San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Examiner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Federalist, American Radio Journal and RealClearPolitics.
Dr. Naughton has over 20 years’ experience in media, elective, grassroots and advocacy politics with candidates at the national, state and local level, including campaign management, communications, media development and placement, grassroots fieldwork and polling.
In addition to his Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Southern California, he has an advanced degree from Carnegie Mellon University.