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 By Avery Bowron
Olympia, Washington
Geography,
Environmental Studies
with
Asa Diebolt
Freeville, New York
Environmental Studies
After Mac: Continuing
research on wind power
and
Kai Bosworth
Spearfish, South Dakota
Environmental Studies
Many of us assume that wind power is unambiguously benevolent and should be pursued to address the climate crisis, but the public often resists large-scale wind projects, and many communities have successfully turned developers away.
Working together with Roopali Phadke, a professor in the Environmental Studies Department, we have been investigating the role aesthetic concerns play in public resistance to wind development, and what role the public plays in the development process. Can residents and developers work together with local officials to find mutually acceptable development options? Is resistance to wind development just a case of not-in-my-backyard?
During our summer research, we developed detailed individual case studies as well as condensed versions we referred to as two-pagers. Devoting about two weeks to each case study, we researched local newspaper articles, environmental impact statements, summaries of town hall meetings and local planning board hearings, and opposition websites. We also made the occasional phone call. We encountered very diverse perspectives and experiences. Oregon residents worried that buried transmission lines would electrolyze rainfall and dry up their wells. In New York, a town board was accused of taking bribes from wind developers. A political party was launched in opposition to wind development, and one member of the resistance lost a barn to possible arson.
In Oregon, a developer unsuccessfully proposed a project directly adjacent to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. In Wisconsin, proposed turbines near a wildlife preserve were described as “spinning machetes of death.” Just about everywhere, local communities are concerned about the impact utility scale wind facilities may have on wildlife, especially birds and bats. These controversies often turn ugly, tearing communities apart.
People resist wind development for a variety of reasons, many legitimate, and this resistance must be considered in the impact assessment process. It is clear that public acceptance is one of the largest barriers developers must confront.
In the final weeks of the project, Avery made maps for the two-pagers and the website; Kai built the website; and Asa designed and formatted the two-pagers and completed an additional case study. As friends and environmental studies majors, we’ve been further connected by our work together and the common thread of wind development in the disparate regions we call home.
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