Wind Energy in Vermont: The Benefits and Limitations of Stakeholder Involvement

Wind energy … what’s not to like about it? With growing concerns about climate change and tightened regulation of conventional air pollutants, the United States is climbing on the wind energy band wagon. Wind and other renewable sources of electricity are being promoted at the federal level through production tax credits and at the state level through renewable portfolio standards. But how do utility-scale wind energy projects play at the local level? Not well. Focusing on a proposed 80-MW project in southwestern Vermont, this chapter examines both the possibilities and the limitations of stakeholder involvement in large-scale wind turbine projects.