Record Details
Community Acceptance of Utility Scale Wind Developments: The Role of Environmental Values and Justice in the San Gorgonio Pass, California
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Community Acceptance of Utility Scale Wind Developments: The Role of Environmental Values and Justice in the San Gorgonio Pass, California |
| Names |
Anderson, Lauren R.
(creator) Steel, Brent S. (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 2015 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 2015 |
| Abstract | To face large scale environmental challenges like climate change, the Obama administration has turned to renewable sources of energy to offset the carbon emissions that result from traditional energy sources like coal and natural gas. However, finding suitable locations for large-scale renewable energy developments has proven difficult due to strong opposition from local communities. The common explanation of these responses, often referred to as NIMBYism (Not In My Backyard), does not adequately address the multitude of factors that lead to community opposition, and is not very useful in addressing community concerns from a policy standpoint. Using a case study of community response to wind development siting in the San Gorgonio Pass of Riverside County, California, this study outlines a framework in which community concerns about the development’s impact on the environment, both anthropocentric and ecocentric concerns, lead community members to involve themselves in the siting process. This involvement then turns to open opposition when individuals feel they have suffered an injustice regarding their access to the siting process (procedural justice) or the distribution of costs and benefits (distributional justice). This two-step framework offers an explanation of community opposition in the San Gorgonio Pass in order to expand understanding of best practices for siting utility scale wind developments. |
| Genre | Research Paper |
| Topic | Energy Policy |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/56165 |
