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New Report Recommends Best Practices for Reforming State-Level Renewable Energy Siting

A new report from E3 identifies state policy trends and recommendations for siting renewable energy in a way that benefits people and nature.

April 17, 2024 | Arlington, VA

A line of wind turbines marches along a misty blue ridge in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virgina.
Renewable Future Wind turbines situated on a ridge top in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia. © Kent Mason

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Rapidly accelerating the deployment of renewable energy projects is paramount for the United States to meet its net zero by 2050 climate goal This deployment will only succeed if we minimize impacts to natural and working lands, ensure equitable benefit sharing and address communities’ concerns about renewable energy impacts. That is why Clean Air Task Force, The Nature Conservancy and Natural Resources Defense Council are announcing a new report today that assesses siting and permitting policies for renewable energy development and recommends policy solutions.

Read E3's New Report

Assessment of Renewable Energy Siting and Permitting Policies

Download the Report

CATF, TNC and NRDC jointly commissioned E3, an energy and environmental economics consulting firm, to develop the report. The report is informed by qualitative and quantitative research, including interviews with 15 renewable energy siting stakeholders. Interviewees included state and local permitting staff, renewable energy developers, permitting lawyers and consultants, non-profits, renewable energy advocacy organizations, and trade associations. E3’s new report provides key considerations and best practices to accelerate permitting processes while minimizing environmental impacts and maximizing social benefits. 

Where cost and technical constraints were once the main challenges to building renewable energy projects, institutional barriers like lengthy project permitting and approval processes and social barriers like local opposition now make it increasingly difficult to deploy projects at the speed and scale necessary to address climate change. New policies are urgently needed to address these barriers by supporting communities, expediting siting and permitting processes, and protecting valuable land resources when deploying renewable clean energy. 

States have pursued a variety of approaches to site and approve renewable energy projects. In this report, E3 evaluated the different policy frameworks in eight states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington. While these states exhibit a range of renewable resource potential and levels of renewable deployment, they also vary in their permitting policy structures. For example, California, Illinois, New York, and Washington have increased state authority over renewable energy permitting in recent years. In contrast, states like Ohio have granted local jurisdictions more control.

Aerial image of The Maricopa West Solar project site in the San Joaquin Valley, near the town of Taft, California. © Stuart Palley
Accelerating Renewable Energy E3’s new report provides key considerations and best practices to accelerate permitting processes while minimizing environmental impacts and maximizing social benefits. © Stuart Palley

In its report, E3 makes the following recommendations for policy interventions to facilitate more effective renewable energy permitting and siting:

  • Increase permitting efficiency through a centralized "one-stop shop" for permitting to eliminate patchwork approaches involving multiple agencies with minimal coordination.
  • Limit uncertainty in permitting decisions by implementing standardized requirements for all projects and predictable methods for evaluating site-specific conditions, reducing development risk.
  • Require robust community engagement processes by including clearly defined periods of stakeholder and community involvement during which local input is solicited and incorporated into siting and project design.
  • Preempt unreasonably burdensome local ordinances by exercising state authority to set parameters and standards applicable to renewable energy.
  • Create streamlined and transparent permitting timelines for timely review and approval.

In addition to these policy interventions, E3 recommends the following best practices:

  • Promote early engagement between permitting authorities and developers to facilitate the timely identification of potential issues and give greater opportunity to amend project siting and design.
  • Involve trusted third-party voices, such as local universities or state agricultural agencies, to provide educational and advisory resources to help local stakeholders develop informed positions about proposed projects, fostering community understanding and support.
  • Encourage robust early and continuing community engagement between developers and local communities on siting and design with time to address concerns and ensure project alignment with community needs and preferences. Ongoing communication and reporting on benefits of a project throughout its lifecycle further enhance community engagement.
  • Apply agricultural land use best practices, with renewable developers adhering to third-party guidelines regarding land stewardship best practices, ensuring that project sites can be restored for agricultural use after decommissioning, thereby minimizing the long-term impact on agricultural lands.

 E3’s policy recommendations and best practices can help state and local governments reduce permitting timelines and uncertainty by steering renewable energy development toward sites that maximize benefits to communities, minimize impacts to nature, and accelerate the permitting process. With thoughtful state siting policies and robust community engagement, the U.S. can achieve its climate goals while benefiting conservation and communities.

To learn more, read the full report.

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 77 countries and territories (41 by direct conservation impact and 36 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on X.