Wind Energy Guide for County Commissioners

摘要

One of the key stakeholders associated with economic development are local government officials, who are often required to evaluate and vote on commercial wind energy project permits, as well as to determine and articulate what wind energy benefits accrue to their counties. Often these local officials lack experience with large-scale wind energy and need to make important decisions concerning what may be a complicated and controversial issue. These decisions can be confounded with diverse perspectives from various stakeholders. This project is designed to provide county commissioners, planners, and other local county government officials with a practical overview of information required to successfully implement commercial wind energy projects in their county. The guidebook provides readers with information on the following 13 topics: Brief Wind Energy Overview; Environmental Benefits; Wind Energy Myths and Facts; Economic Development Benefits; Wind Economics; The Development Process; Public Outreach; Siting Issues; Property Tax Incentives; Power System Impacts; Permitting, Zoning, and Siting Processes; Case Studies; and Further Information. For each of the above topics, the guidebook provides an introduction that identifies the topic, why local government should care, a topic snapshot, how the topic will arise, and a list of resources that define and assess the topic.