The purpose of this dissertation research is to examine how local context in four natural resource dependent Appalachian settings shape the formal Basic Engagement Plan (BEP). In 2002, the federal Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) formed a partnership with AmeriCorps VISTA and local environmental improvement organizations to restore Appalachian locales suffering from pre-regulatory environmental damage. To stimulate diverse local institutional engagement, the partnership developed the BEP. It is a formal process of institutional interaction to initiate working relationships where none exist between participating organizations and public administrators, legislators, and nonprofit organizations. To explore the research question, I use a multiple-case study design and comparative analysis. Because the partners work to restore local environments through sustainable community development, the research is grounded in sustainable community development literature. I continue the trend that juxtaposes its considerations of environmental protection, economic development, and social justice with the interactional perspective of community, a sociological model of community grounded in social interaction. Sustainable community development literature is dominated by an authoritative intervention paradigm. The juxtaposed model at the heart of this research does not deny the important contributions of authoritative intervention. Rather, it complements this conventional arrangement by discussing the important role of horizontal institutions in the process. Key findings show local contexts are multi-faceted and dynamic. In this regard, the variation in impact of local contexts on the formal BEP process shows that a one-size-fits-all approach is problematic for sustainable community development in natural resource dependent settings. The dissertation concludes with a set of comparative findings across the four cases and discussion of four important ways in which the research contributes to theory and practice. / PHD / This dissertation research provides a comparative case study of a hybrid, theory-based model of community development in rural settings. The model marries an interactive perspective of community and a type of community development that emphasizes sustainable practices. These practices seek to balance environmental protection, economic development, and social justice in the community development process. Its union is an excellent fit to organize the complexities of stakeholder relationships witnessed in selected natural resource dependent settings. In this regard, the research advances understanding of the model as a tool to organize multi-faceted working relationships. Secondly, the research advances the notion that inclusion of diverse stakeholders is important to restoring environmental damage and alleviating economic insecurities. It examines how diverse stakeholders break down communication barriers in natural resource dependent communities to find common goals to encourage sustained working relationships. The unpleasant implications of natural resource dependence create a setting where government is often the vital stakeholder to community development. In these settings, common goals and shared understanding of a public issue occur as government priorities allow. As priorities change so do the abilities of other key stakeholders to participate in the community development process. This research compliments understanding of the conventional government arrangement by highlighting the perspective of diverse stakeholders. Local practitioners can lessen the impact of changing government priorities by advancing their own organizational abilities to participate in community development. The dissertation concludes with a set of comparative findings across selected cases and discussion of important ways local practitioners can sustain the social change they seek to make in their communities.