KAOH media

09/29/2026

Different audiences need different levels of detail. A permit application can contain everything someone needs to know about a project while still being the wrong place to point a community member with a question.

Project communications intended for the public should be designed that way: make it easy to understand what is being proposed, where it will be located, how it works, what happens during construction, and where to find supporting information.

That means organizing complex information around the questions people are actually asking while keeping every answer grounded in the underlying record. Good public information makes complicated projects easier to understand and easier to evaluate.

09/17/2026

A new report on renewable energy siting reinforces what developers are seeing across the country: permitting and the path to project approval is becoming more complex.

The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law now tracks 888 state and local restrictions affecting renewable development across 48 states, and that number is growing. Another part of the data deserves attention: researchers identified 165 new restrictions in 2023, 112 in 2024, and 70 in 2025.

For developers, both trends matter. These restrictions not only impact where development is possible, but also how difficult project approval will be. But national trends alone cannot tell a developer what is happening in a particular county, township, state or stakeholder network.

That is where local intelligence becomes critical. Understanding community sentiment and regulatory dynamics early provides context around the challenges ahead and a clearer picture of what the road to permitting approval may actually look like.

At KAOH, we help development teams turn that local intelligence into an engagement strategy so they can enter the permitting process better informed and better prepared.

The sixth annual Opposition to Renewable Energy Facilities in the United States report from researchers at Columbia's Sabin Center for Climate Change Law shows 888 state and local restrictions on renewable development and a total of 567 contested projects.

09/07/2026

At KAOH Media, we’re proud to work alongside communities across the country and see firsthand what can be accomplished through hard work, collaboration and a shared commitment to a stronger future.

Happy Labor Day from the KAOH Media team!

08/31/2026

It’s August and that means it’s back-to-school season.

It is an important opportunity for project teams to connect with local school superintendents and better understand the priorities shaping their districts:

What challenges are schools facing this year?
Where could community partnerships make a meaningful difference?
How can projects support students, teachers, and families?
What opportunities exist for long-term collaboration?

By starting these conversations early, project teams can build relationships grounded in listening, trust, and shared community goals.

Engagement can be as straightforward as scheduling an introductory meeting, learning about district initiatives, supporting student programs, exploring workforce development opportunities, and maintaining communication throughout the school year.

Strong school partnerships begin by asking what the district needs and not assuming what their needs are.

Here are a few fun back-to-school photos from our team.

08/31/2026

It’s August and that means it’s back-to-school season.

It is an important opportunity for project teams to connect with local school superintendents and better understand the priorities shaping their districts:

What challenges are schools facing this year?
Where could community partnerships make a meaningful difference?
How can projects support students, teachers, and families?
What opportunities exist for long-term collaboration?

By starting these conversations early, project teams can build relationships grounded in listening, trust, and shared community goals.

Engagement can be as straightforward as scheduling an introductory meeting, learning about district initiatives, supporting student programs, exploring workforce development opportunities, and maintaining communication throughout the school year.

Strong school partnerships begin by asking what the district needs and not assuming what their needs are.

Here are a few fun back-to-school photos from our team.

08/26/2026

Our CEO, Brad MacAfee, shared his community engagement insight with Newsweek for its latest article on how data centers are addressing growing public concerns.

“The industry bears some responsibility,” Brad said. “Too often, community engagement starts only after concerns have already emerged, rather than before a project becomes contentious.”

Read the full article at the link below.

Although the president has endorsed it as crucial to securing America's tech dominance, communities are far from sold on the AI buildout.

08/20/2026

Before we think about what to say, we spend time understanding what a community is already hearing.

That can mean reviewing local news coverage, public meeting agendas, land-use information, community organizations, and the questions already surfacing around growth and development.

These details help shape better communications decisions.

Who needs information first? Which questions require clearer answers? Where are people getting their information? And which local conversations could affect how a project is understood?

For our team, that work often starts right here: at a desk, with a lot of tabs open and a notebook filling quickly.

Good engagement begins with learning the local landscape.

08/17/2026

Unanswered questions can become project risks.

A recent Route Fifty article examines 46 proposed AI data center projects that were publicly delayed or cancelled after community opposition. Across the cases reviewed, uncertainty about ownership, power demand, water use and closed-door decision-making repeatedly contributed to local concern.

For development teams, the practical lesson begins well before a public hearing.

Communities should be able to understand:

• Who is developing and operating the project

• What local resources the facility will require

• How potential impacts will be addressed

• How community benefits and project commitments will be measured

Early communication gives residents, officials and other stakeholders a factual foundation for evaluating a proposal. It also gives developers time to identify legitimate concerns, adjust their approach and build a stronger permitting strategy.

Transparency should be planned alongside site selection, engineering and financing. Waiting until opposition has organized sharply limits the available options.

Read the article:

A lack of transparency around ownership, power and water requirements was cited as the most common issue in 46 cancelled projects across a two-year period in 20 states.

08/12/2026

Good community engagement starts before the first presentation, public meeting or campaign message.

It starts with paying attention.

On a recent treks through public parks and national forests, members of our team took these photos as a reminder that every place communicates something about its priorities: how land is used, where people gather, what infrastructure is visible and what residents may want to preserve.

These observations aren't a replacement for research or direct conversation, nor are they intended to be. They help teams ask the right questions when those conversations do happen.

For developers working in unfamiliar communities, local context should shape the engagement strategy from the start. Clear communication is more effective when it reflects how a community already understands its landscape, economy and future.

Listen closely, learn early and communicate with precision.