Empowering the Wind: Overcoming Obstacles to Wind Energy Development in the United States

Sustainable Development Law & Policy, Dec 2010

This paper analyzes the development of the wind industry in the United States and the policies and programs that have been used to spur its growth. Section One discusses the economic and environmental benefits of wind energy today and tracks its recent growth within the U.S. and around the world. Section Two identifies and explains many of the obstacles to growth, including price distortions, discriminatory transmission policies, infrastructure limitations, and local opposition. Section Three includes a discussion of the federal and state incentives in place today and analyzes their impact on wind energy development throughout the country. Section Four provides case studies of several states that have led the way in promoting and developing their wind energy resources. Finally, Section Five presents policy recommendations to maximize wind energy growth in the future.

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Empowering the Wind: Overcoming Obstacles to Wind Energy Development in the United States

Empowering the Wind: Overcoming Obstacles to Wind Energ y Development in the United States Dave Newman 0 0 Newman, Dave. "Empowering the Wind: Overcoming Obstacles to Wind Energy Development in the United States." Sustainable Development Law and Policy , Summer/Fall 2003, 5-20 1 Doha Round Briefing Series , supra note 1 2 WTO , WTO Symposium: Challenges Ahead on The Road to Cancun 3 Paul E. Hagen and Daniel M. Krainin, Trade and Environment Update: An Introduction to the Rules of the World Trade Organization and Their Relationship to Environmental , Health, and Safety Measures, SG056 ALI ABA 301, 2002 4 Report by the Chairperson of the Special Session of the Committee on Trade and Environment to the Trade Negotiations Committee. Trade and Environment Negotiations: State of Play 1 (TN/TE/7) (10 , USA Part of the Energy and Utilities Law Commons; Environmental Law Commons; and the Science - EMPOWERING THE WIND: OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO WIND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES By Dave Newman * INTRODUCTION way in promoting and developing their wind energy resources. Imagine a world in which power plants and Finally, Section Five presents policy recommendations to automobiles produce zero pollution, where climate change maximize wind energy growth in the future. becomes a manageable problem instead of a growing threat, I. ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC where farmers and ranchers harvest energy crops alongside BENEFITS TO WIND agricultural ones, and the Great Plains displaces the Middle A combination of energy efficiency programs and East as the main source of energy in the United States. With a large-scale renewable energy development would significantly combination of policies, incentives, and market transformation, reduce a number of environmental and public health problems this dream could become a reality within many of our lifetimes. while spurring substantial economic growth. Improving energy Wind energy is poised to serve as the foundation of efficiency is widely accepted as the cheapest, fastest, and most this new clean and sustainable energy economy. Energy derived environmentally benign way to meet energ y demand. from wind produces no pollution, very little environmental Unfortunately, U.S. utilities have moved away from energy impact, and has become cost competitive with other efficiency over the past decade, cutting efficiency programs by commercial energy sources. Since 1995, wind energy has grown 45% from 1993 through 1998.3 The U.S. could produce the at about 30% throughout the world, faster than any other energy same amount of goods and services using 30% less energy by source.1 Although this growth is encouraging, wind still only using energy as efficiently as the European Union.4 accounts for a tiny fraction of world energy supplies and many A. Environmental Dividends obstacles continue to block broader adoption of wind Increasing the global share of wind and other technologies.2 renewables in the overall energy supply would significantly Tapping into this unlimited resource would also serve reduce the public health and environmental costs of fossil fuel to stabilize U.S. energy supply and reduce dependence on and nuclear energy. Coal-burning power plants cause severe foreign sources of energy. The continuous flow of wind public health problems ranging from summer smog alerts to power could serve as a hedge against the volatility of natural asthma, respiratory disease, and even death.5 Reliance on coal gas, oil and other world energy supplies. In addition, mining also creates enormous environmental impacts including acid clean sources of domestic energy would reduce our dependence rain and the pollution resulting from mining.6 Nuclear power on countries that harbor or finance terrorist activities. presents a unique set of concerns, including waste disposal, Abundant and cheap wind energy could also be used radioactive exposure, and security.7 to electrolyze water to create hydrogen. This would serve as a Wind energy produces no greenhouse gasses or other clean and dependable source of fuel for clean-burning fuel cell pollutants and could help the U.S. and other large polluters engines that are expected to begin displacing internal begin mitigating the potentially disastrous effects of climate combustion engines over the next two decades. As these new change.8 Unless significant steps are taken to reduce greenhouse technologies develop, the United States (“U.S.”) could utilize gasses, the United States could expect to lose up to 14,000 its vast wind resources to lead the world to a cleaner energy square miles of coastal land by the end of this century due to future. rising sea levels.9 The Bush Administration’s most recent report This paper analyzes the development of the wind to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate industry in the United States and the policies and programs Change anticipates the following impacts associated with human that have been used to spur its (...truncated)


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Dave Newman. Empowering the Wind: Overcoming Obstacles to Wind Energy Development in the United States, Sustainable Development Law & Policy, 2010, Volume 3, Issue 2,