Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CleanWeand Green
can have it both ways
A guide on how to
discuss responsible
development of
renewable energy
and transmission
projects among key
audiences in the
West.
Americans want clean energy, and decision-makers are responding at both the state
Building Support for 1
and federal levels. The 2009 federal stimulus package alone provided $62 billion
Wind and Solar
to jump-start new wind, solar and geothermal projects. In addition, the Department
Communications about 3
of the Interior has an ongoing fast-track process, through which it has identified at
Clean Energy Siting least 14 solar energy projects, 7 wind energy projects, and 6 geothermal projects
covering more than 157,000 acres of public lands in Arizona, California, Nevada,
Communicating About 4 Oregon and Wyoming. The agency has also identified 7 transmission line projects
Specific Clean Energy
linked to clean energy development that would cross more than 750 miles of
Projects
public lands in the West.
Responding to the 6
Opposition But Americans—particularly those who are sympathetic to environmental issues—
also want their National Forests, National Parks and other public lands protected.
Interview Tips for Staying 9 Most place a premium on the clean air, water, fish and wildlife, and scenic vistas
on Message
that define public lands in the West.
Clean Energy Siting 10
Messaging in Action The following recommendations on message, messengers and media outreach
strategies are intended to help public land and wildlife advocates build support
for responsible development of renewable energy and transmission projects among
two key audiences in the West:
• Westerners who support environmental causes but are not actively engaged
with environmental organizations.
• Active environmentalists who place a high priority on environmental issues
and are actively engaged with conservation organizations as donors and
volunteers.
At this critical moment for renewable energy, those who make up the “green base”
of support for environmental causes may experience most acutely the potential clash
of values between building a clean energy future for the region and protecting iconic
wildlife, scenery and special places in the West. They see development of clean
energy as a priority to make America more energy-independent and protect the
West’s water, wildlife and outdoor way of life.
At the same time, they don’t want to see developers and advocates make the same
mistakes in a headlong rush to develop wind and solar projects that were made—and
continue to be made—with coal mining, oil drilling, and other fossil fuel-energy
permitting on Western public lands.
This message guide provides a practical approach to talking about wind and solar
projects, and the transmission lines that will carry clean energy to Western
Renewable energy communities, in two primary contexts:
projects will provide • Talking about wind and solar energy development in general.
clean, reliable energy
• Talking about specific wind and solar projects and proposals.
for generations to come
without pollution, without
depending on outsiders, While there is considerable overlap between the two contexts, the general
and without running out. communications strategies focus prospectively on how to do it right from the start,
and the communications tips for individual projects focus on the specific facts and
whether it’s being done right in that case. In both scenarios, communications should
be grounded in the core values that drive Western environmentalists’ twin desires
for more clean renewable energy and strong protection of our public lands,
waters and wildlife.
For our target audiences, three powerful primary values drive support for clean
energy:
• Freedom
• Independence
• Security
There are also two secondary values that drive these audiences’ demand that clean-
energy development respect wildlife and the environment:
• Aesthetics
• Environmental Stewardship and Protection
As with renewable energy Big-Picture Communications About Clean Energy Siting
projects, each proposed
transmission line must be When communicating about the general subject of clean energy on public lands—not in
considered and planned the context of a specific project or proposal—the primary emphasis should be on the
carefully to ensure it will benefits clean energy will provide and the importance of developing renewable energy in
deliver the most clean
ways that minimize harm to the environment.
energy with the least
harm to wildlife and
the environment. Secondary Message:
Core Message:
Renewable energy projects will provide Renewable energy projects should be
clean, reliable energy for generations to considered based on the long-term
come without pollution, without benefits weighed against any disruption
depending on outsiders, and without to land and wildlife. Good wind and solar
running out. Without more wind and projects will be thoroughly planned and
solar energy projects, we will continue to researched to ensure that they are a net
depend on dangerous, polluting sources plus for the environment and for energy
of energy such as coal and oil. consumers for many years into the
future.
• Wind and solar farms, when carefully sited, can be a win-win for the environment and
consumers. They help break our dependence on coal and other dirty sources of energy
while providing clean, reliable, affordable electricity to communities across the West for
generations to come.
• Renewable energy projects don’t belong everywhere. But public lands in the West are vast
and varied. We can find a way forward to tap into the West’s huge potential for wind and
solar energy in ways that protect places that have special value for wildlife and recreation
such as parks and wildlife refuges.
• If we don’t move forward with wind and solar energy, we’ll continue to rely on coal, oil
and other dirty energy that has been damaging our public lands, lakes and rivers, and fish
and wildlife for more than 100 years.
• Building wind and solar farms on already degraded sites, such as abandoned mines, closed
military bases or former grazing lands, is one of the best ways to ensure we get the
benefits of clean energy with the least disruption to wildlife and the environment.
• New transmission lines are a necessary part of delivering the benefits of clean energy for
consumers and the environment. As with renewable energy projects, each proposed
transmission line must be considered and planned carefully to ensure it will deliver the
most clean energy with the least harm to wildlife and the environment.
• There may be a lot of proposed renewable energy sites across the West, but not all of them
will be built. That’s an opportunity for conservationists to have a say in how clean energy
development moves forward on the public lands we cherish.
• If we want to break our dependence on coal and other dirty energy sources—and end the
cycle of pollution they create—we’ll need new transmission capacity to bring clean
electricity from wind and solar energy projects in the [desert/mountains] to communities
across the West.
• Clean energy projects have to be planned right from the start. Cutting corners or bypassing
environmental safeguards means we may end up with an expensive mess to clean up later.
• Getting it right from the start means doing careful research and planning up front to avoid
or limit disruption to land, water and wildlife.
• Let’s not make the same mistakes with wind and solar energy projects that were made
with coal mining and oil drilling on public lands in the West.
The [NAME OF PROJECT] will provide The [NAME OF PROJECT] is another step toward a
a clean, reliable energy resource for clean energy future in the West. It has been
[NAME OF STATE/COMMUNITY] for thoroughly planned and vetted to minimize impacts
years to come. It will produce enough on our land, water and wildlife, and has the support
electricity to power [X] homes in of [NAME ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS,
[LOCATION] without pollution, without COMMUNITY LEADERS, CONSUMER
depending on outsiders, and without ADVOCATES, ETC.]. Perhaps most importantly, it
running out. [NAME OF PROJECT] will will help break our dependence on coal and other
make us more energy independent. fossil fuels.
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Additional Talking Points
Core Message:
The [NAME OF PROJECT] has the potential to
provide a clean, reliable energy resource for up to
[NUMBER] of homes and businesses in [STATE]. But
there are still some questions that need to be answered
to make sure it provides the most energy with the least
harm to [SPECIFY WILDLIFE, LAND ISSUES].
• The [NAME OF PROJECT] can help us build a clean energy future in the West, but more
planning and vetting are needed to ensure we avoid unnecessary damage to [SPECIFY
WILDLIFE, LAND ISSUES].
• We are working with [NAME LOCAL CITIZEN AND COMMUNITY LEADERS OR
OTHERS] to make sure the [NAME OF PROJECT] is done right and that it won’t cause
more problems than it solves.
Core Message:
There are some places that even clean
energy projects don’t belong, and the
[NAME OF PROJECT] is one of them.
[CITE SPECIFIC REASONS WHY IT IS A
PROBLEM]. There are other, better places
to put [WIND/SOLAR] projects like [NAME
OF PROJECT] where there will be far less
harm to [SPECIFY IMPACT(S)].
• Where relevant: Cutting corners and putting projects on a fast track that bypasses
normal environmental reviews is a recipe for disaster. But that’s just what
[NAME OF AGENCY] did with [NAME OF PROJECT].
Las
Vegas,
Nevada
April
4,
2010
Environment,
consumers
can
gain
by
renewable
energy
projects
in
Nevada
By
MICHELE
BURKETT
/
Las
Vegas
Sun
Don’t leave your house. That’s what the voice on the radio was telling me: Don’t leave
your house. The air in Salt Lake City was dangerously polluted and the state was warning
us that breathing the air outside would be hazardous to our health.
Announcements like that were business as usual in my 30 years living in Salt Lake City,
and for a while, it was looking like Mesquite — my home for the past six years — would
suffer the same smoggy fate at the hands of the proposed Toquop coal plant.
But I knew we didn’t have to choose between abundant, affordable energy and clean air
and water — we can have both. Here in Nevada we are blessed with abundant solar, wind
and geothermal resources that can provide clean, reliable, homegrown energy, without
polluting, without relying on others and without running out.
That’s why I was dismayed to read the next day a story in the Las Vegas Sun,
“Environmentalists make plea for desert preservation,” that some environmentalists are
opposing any renewable energy development in desert areas in Nevada.
I love the desert tortoise and I love the desert poppy, but there is a lot of desert in Nevada
and we ought to be able to find a way to tap into our state’s vast potential for clean
energy while protecting our wildlife, water and desert vistas.
Renewable energy projects clearly don’t belong in places that have special value for
wildlife and recreation such as parks and wildlife refuges. And in places where it does
make sense to look at renewable energy, we need to make sure projects are well
researched and well planned, and that local folks who would be most affected get a say in
the decision.
I understand that there are a lot of proposed renewable energy sites in Nevada, but not
every one of them will be built. That’s an opportunity for conservationists to have a say
in how clean energy development moves forward on the desert lands we cherish. We
have to look at each project individually and consider the environmental costs and
benefits.
Yes, there will be some disruption to land and wildlife at the sites we choose to build on,
but we have to weigh that against the payoff of clean energy: less reliance on coal and
other energy sources that pollute our air and water, greater energy independence and a
chance to build a new industry in our state. Where we see a net benefit to our
environment and energy consumers, we ought to say yes to renewable energy and work
with the developers and local leaders to do it right.
Michele Burkett is president of Defend Our Desert. Based in Mesquite, Defend Our
Desert was formed in 2004 by local citizens concerned with the environmental and
community effects of proposed coal plants in Nevada.
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guide
was
written
and
produced
by
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