Local Planning for Wind Power : Using Programmatic Environmental Impact Review to Facilitate Development

Permitting agencies of wind power projects faces a dilemma: on the one hand, the importance of seeking energy independence and clean energy compels decision-makers to minimize the costs of providing the benefits of wind power; on the other hand, decision-makers are bound to insure that the permitting process exhibits the informational purposes secured by environmental impact review. This brief article proposes the use of planning-based, programmatic environmental impact review as a tool that can be used by local governments to encourage wind energy development. After a brief discussion of the impacts of wind energy and the environmental impact review process, this article discusses the experiences and efforts of two agencies - the Bureau of Land Management and Klickitat County, Washington - that have prepared programmatic environmental impact statements (PElS) to facilitate wind energy development. Finally, this article discusses the potential benefits of wind planning in the programmatic process