Resisting and Reconciling Big Wind: Middle Landscape Politics in the New American West

Abstract

While critical geographers have addressed how place politics impacts rural landscapes, less attention has been paid to the particular ways in which rural landscape identities are being impacted by the new energy economy. The nascent US wind energy opposition movement is evidence of broad, organized resistance to the landscape impacts associated with the re‐sculpting of rural energy geographies. Drawing from cultural landscape and place theory, this article examines the shifting terrain of wind opposition in the “New American West”. The article argues that wind energy opposition is fundamentally about who speaks for and negotiates conflicting social commitments to technology, economic values and an imagined American pastoral identity. By examining a case study of wind development in Nevada, this article considers how renewable energy development can constructively acknowledge the important role the “middle landscape” continues to play in American constructions of rural space.

Thirty years of North American wind energy acceptance research: What have we learned?

“…The processes around wind project planning and development can significantly affect public acceptance (Firestone et al, 2012b), and a lack of opportunity for local residents to engage meaningfully in the planning process may reduce support or increase local conflict (Bohn & Lant, 2009;Huesca-Pérez et al, Thirty years of North American wind energy acceptance research │17 2016; Phadke, 2011). In some wind development models, local citizens have been entirely removed from the planning and design of wind developments (Phadke, 2013).…”

“…Impacts on electricity rates Baxter et al, 2013Firestone & Kemption, 2007Firestone et al, 2012aPetrova, 2016 Jobs and local economic development Bidwell, 2013Larson & Krannich, 2016Mulvaney et al, 2013a2013bOlson-Hazboun et al, 2016Slattery et al, 2012Songsore & Buzzelli, 2015 How are local economic impacts perceived under more participatory development processes? Distributive justice / costs and benefits Baxter et al, 2013Brannstrom et al, 2011Groth & Vogt, 2014Huesca-Pérez et al, 2016Hirsh & Sovacool, 2013Jami & Walsh, 2017Kempton et al, 2005Larson & Krannich, 2016Pasqualetti, 2011aPetrova, 2013Phadke, 2011Rule, 2014Shaw et al, 2015Slattery et al, 2012Sovacool, 2009 What do developers and communities perceive as best practices for distributive justice? What are the preferred community compensation mechanisms to improve distributive justice?…”

“…Planning process, fairness, trust Community participation in development process Bidwell, 2016bBohn & Lant, 2009Corscadden et al, 2012Fast et al, 2016Firestone et al, 2012bGroth & Vogt, 2014Huesca-Pérez et al, 2016Jacquet, 2015Jami & Walsh, 2014Phadke, 2011Shaw et al, 2015Songsore & Buzzelli, 2015Sovacool & Ratan, 2012Walker et al, 2014c How Fast, 2015Fast et al, 2016Firestone et al, 2012bShaw et al, 2015Songsore & Buzzelli, 2014 Do perceptions of fairness influence perceptions of economic impacts or reported health impacts?…”

“…Qualitative Methods Literature review Fast, 2015Fournis & Fortin, 2016Huesca-Pérez et al, 2016Knopper & Ollson, 2011Knopper et al, 2014Lantz & Flowers, 2011Pasqualetti, 2011bPetrova, 2013Rule, 2014Content analysis Abbott, 2010Bohn & Lant, 2009Bolinger, 2005Ferguson-Martin & Hill, 2012Pasqualetti, 2011aPhadke, 2010Shaw et al, 2015Songsore & Buzzelli, 2014Interview / Focus Group Dwyer, 2016Jami & Walsh, 2017Kempton et al, 2005Pasqualetti, 2001Phadke, 2013Shaw et al, 2015Sovacool, 2009 Comment / Perspective / Qualitative case study Bidwell, 2016bFast et al, 2016Hirsch & Sovacool, 2013Jami & Walsh, 2014Pasqualetti, 2000Phadke, 2011 Expert elicitation Bush & Hoagland, 2016 …”

Reconsidering barriers to wind power projects: community engagement, developer transparency and place

“…First, many analyses use case studies, whose basis for selection can lead to bias. Cases have been selected at least in part because they were subject to public controversy (e.g., Jami and Walsh, 2016;Groth and Vogt, 2014;Firestone and Kempton, 2007), highlight best practices (Aitken, et al, 2016), for their geographies or place-based attributes (e.g., Phadke, 2011), and/or out of convenience to the researcher (e.g., Howard, 2015). Are these cases typical or extraordinary?…”