Legislatures in 23 states and the District of Columbia have passed some form of a carbon-free electricity goal.
The projects will be costly and take a long time to complete, but one of the larger impediments is the local opposition they face. So some states are taking action to override local authority so the projects can move forward despite the objections of residents.
Energy watchdog Robert Bryce keeps an approximate tally of the wind and solar projects across the U.S. that have been rejected as a result of local opposition. According to Bryce’s Renewable Rejection Database, since 2013, there have been 610 projects rejected as a result of local opposition. The pace of opposition has increased as the number of planned projects increases.
“It is very clear, very clear that from Maine to Hawaii, rural Americans don’t want these projects,” Bryce told Just The News. He said the tally is actually 611, but a recent case in Pennsylvania hasn’t been added to the database yet.
According to a study by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, there are 228 local restrictions in 25 states, and the study notes that the list might not be exhaustive.
The Associated Press reports that more than 13 states are looking to grant more authority to state authorities to override local restrictions and decisions in siting renewable energy projects.
When Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed its law in November mandating 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040, the law included provisions to grant the state’s Public Service Commission the authority to site large-scale renewable energy projects in order to prevent local governments from stopping them.
