Local power: understanding the adoption and design of county wind energy regulation

Michael Lerner

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: The majority of U.S. states have set targets for renewable energy, but the prospects for meeting most of these goals hinge on the willingness of local governments to allow large-scale renewable energy projects in their communities. In this paper, I investigate how exposure to lobbying by wind developers and the actions of neighboring jurisdictions inform the adoption and design of rules for siting commercial wind farms. Using data collected from 1603 counties in 23 states, I find local policymakers are more likely to enact wind ordinances when they have more time to interact with wind developers and when neighboring counties have adopted wind ordinances or approved the construction of wind farms. I also observe that counties tend to adopt more stringent rules when more wind farms have been built in neighboring counties. This evidence suggests that efforts to scale up renewable energy generation may encounter increasing resistance from local governments.

Keywords: climate change; comparative governance; developed countries; economic development; energy; innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 23 pages
Date: 2022-03-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-env, nep-mac, nep-ppm, nep-reg and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published in Review of Policy Research, 1, March, 2022, 39(2), pp. 120 - 142. ISSN: 1541-132X

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:112757

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