Continuing from my last post, another reason why renewable energy projects are denied land use permits is due to difficult local leadership. Some counties and towns have elected leaders, such as commissioners or councilmen, who are dead-set against the concept of renewable energy. Their stance doesn’t change whether or not a project’s application follows zoning ordinances or impacts neighbors; they are against it either way. If these leaders have the power to vote down a land use permit application, getting approval is an uphill climb for the developer.
There are many local leaders who don’t politically align with renewable energy but have other reasons to approve a project. These reasons may include economic benefits, landowner rights, or wanting to limit regulation. The leaders who unilaterally oppose projects are essentially putting their political views over their responsibilities to their constituents, although they may feel that they represent the overriding opinion of their community.
A developer must have compelling reasons to pursue a project in this situation. While the stance of the leadership can sometimes be discerned through research prior to getting deeply involved in a project, other times it doesn’t emerge until the project is ready to apply for the land use permit. By that point, the developer has probably spent hundreds of thousands of dollars if it’s a utility-scale project. Relying on hostile third parties to change their minds is usually a low percentage play.
The most effective tactic I can recommend is relationship building with both the leaders and other important people in the community. The project should donate to schools, host barbecues, sponsor baseball teams, and find other ways of making the point that they are serious about bringing benefits to the area. Many times the opposition to renewable energy is rooted in a fear of change and the local citizens are more accepting of new ideas from people they trust. A developer must work hard to shed the “carpetbagger” image that many of these local leaders have when they first hear about a project. While that may improve the chances of getting a project approved, it’s still a delicate effort with no guarantees.
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