Dueling prioritiessrenewable energy vs environmental assessment
FWS
“There is a recognition that while that he is considering allowing Ever since the National Environyou need to have all the different “one-stop” permitting for electrimental Policy Act (NEPA) was stakeholders involved in reviewing cal transmission lines, which are signed by former president Richard projects, as required by law, there needed to transport power from Nixon in 1970, the business comis a need for one single place to the wind, solar, and geothermal munity and its allies have been enprovide a coordination point,” says facilities being proposed. Whereas gaged in a battle to roll back Laurie Jodziewicz, manager of sitdevelopers of such massive requirements for environmental ing policy for the American Wind projects typically apply for perimpact assessments in the name of Energy Association, an insaving time and money. dustry group. Now that the world is One-stop permitting is facing both climate and getting strong support at economic crises, supporters the state level through a of low-carbon energy memorandum of undersourcessincluding Presistanding (MOU) put fordent Barack Obama and ward by WGA and signed representatives of the wind by 4 federal departments, and solar energy 11 western states, and 2 industriessare urging that Canadian provinces. The renewable energy projects MOU commits the parties be fast-tracked to cut to setting up a team of greenhouse gases and put local, state, and federal people back to work. This officials to jointly prepare new-sprung strategy leaves Will the impacts of renewable energy projects on native speenvironmental impact asothers warning that the cies, such as this prairie chicken, be swept under the rug? sessments for renewable rush to build renewable mits and submit separate envienergy projects. Coordinating the energy facilities is already creating ronmental impact assessments to assessments and conducting them potentially irreversible mistakes. each federal agency involved, simultaneously is a good use of “We’re seeing the evolution of such as the U.S. EPA, the DepartNEPA and is predicted to save environmental policy for the 21st ment of Energy, and the U.S. Fish time, says Sharon Buccino, direccentury, and a lot of it will be and Wildlife Service (FWS), onetor of the land program at the driven by the global warming isstop permitting would allow deNatural Resources Defense Counsue,” says Eric Glitzenstein, a lawvelopers to submit those cil, an environmental group. yer with Meyer, Glitzenstein & assessments to one office. WGA has made a map of “reCrystal, a public-interest law firm. The concept of one-stop pernewable energy zones” that have Former president George W. Bush, mitting was first proposed for plentiful wind, sun, and geothermal resisted efforts to halt climate industrial facilities by the Clinresources and are available for dechange; now Obama says he wants ton Administration, but it never velopment with minimal environto seriously grapple with the issue. got beyond the pilot-project mental consequences. These efforts “I think it will set the stage for not stage. The most recent Bush Adshould help speed up permitting only legislation targeted at global ministration had more success, without compromising the environclimate change, but also could introducing in its waning days a ment, Buccino notes. usher in a new environmental one-stop permitting plan for reawareness and a new effort to newable energy projects. Under The pros and cons bring existing environmental statthat scheme, officials with the “There is a recognition that we utes up to date,” Glitzenstein says. Bureau of Land Management need to implement clean energy Streamlining environmental (BLM) announced January 16 technology quickly in order to impact assessments and permitthat they will set up renewable combat the very real and serious ting for energy-related energy coordination offices in threat of climate change in the projectssin the name of saving Arizona, California, Nevada, and near term,” says Jodziewicz. Dethe environmentsis getting highWyoming. The offices will be spite a flood of proposals for wind level attention within the Obama staffed by experts from BLM, energy projects on BLM land in Administration. Secretary of the FWS, and other agencies, who the West, only two projects have Interior Ken Salazar told a meetwill jointly review projects probeen announced because of proing of the Western Governors’ Asposed for federally owned land. longed delays in approving persociation (WGA) on February 22 10.1021/es900685s
2009 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 03/25/2009
May 1, 2009 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 9 3001
mits and environmental impact assessments, she says. “We need clean energy, whether it’s siting solar or transmission linessand we need it fastsbut NEPA can help us do that,” says Buccino. Before the government will approve an energy project on public land, the developers must prepare an analysis of the venture’s environmental impacts and consider alternative approaches. “The concern that I have with the massive amount of [federal stimulus] money going through the system and a directive to do NEPA analysis as rapidly as possible, is that you end up with a make-work NEPA document that doesn’t take a hard look at potential problems or [call for the developers to] adapt actions accordingly,” Glitzenstein says. Although most within the environmental community see climate change as a genuine emergency, focusing on it alone has created some tension, Glitzenstein adds. “There are national groups that are so fixated on doing everything possible to stem global climate change as rapidly as possible that there may be a tendency to downplay other problems, that when we look back, could be seen as ecological catastrophes in their own right,” he says. Congress recently waged a battle over NEPA’s requirements through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The new law provides $15 billion to agencies and states for renewable energy projects and new electric transmission lines, and $18.5 billion for energy efficiency programs. Sen. John Barasso’s (R-WY) amendment to allow green energy projects to bypass NEPA was defeated. A compromise amendment from Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) that retains the NEPA process but urges that its reviews be expedited was approved.
California steps forward Recent events in California provide a glimpse into how the
drive to spend stimulus money to save jobs and protect the environment could play out. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) issued an executive order on November 17, 2008, that creates a one-stop permitting process with the goal of cutting application times in half. The state is also looking to steer development of renewable energy projects to environmentally appropriate sites, says Darren Bouton, a deputy cabinet secretary in Schwarzenegger’s office. California’s Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan aims to scope out the areas that have the best potential for wind and solar power production and where environmental impact would be low, explains Kim Delfino with Defenders of Wildlife, an advocacy organization. “Overall, I think the idea of streamlining the permitting process in California is a good idea, provided that streamlining is not used as an excuse to circumvent the law,” says Mike Lynes, conservation director for the Golden Gate Audubon Society, an environmental group. Schwarzenegger’s executive order is not a mandate to steamroller environmental protections, and there’s no reason they should be diminished in the one-stop permit review process, he adds. “We need to have a streamlined processsand we absolutely must reduce our carbon footprintsbut we can’t afford to create new problems in our efforts to address existing ones by adding to species mortality and habitat fragmentation,” cautions Al Manville, a wildlife ecologist at FWS. Renewable energy has a dark side that is not getting enough attention in the push to curb greenhouse gases, he says. “The renewable energy industry likes to tout themselves as green, but killing birds and bats, hugely fragmenting habitat, and adding to cumulative impacts to species is not green,” he adds.
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There is a particularly evident lack of environmental oversight of renewable energy projects on private land, which predominates in the eastern U.S., Manville notes. A tsunami of wind energy projects is being proposed for the East Coast, according to Taber Allison with Mass Audubon, an environmental group. The best sites for wind energy development include Appalachian Mountain crests. Unfortunately, these are also prime locations for migrating bats and birds, including raptors, Allison says. There must be room for compromise on fast-tracking environmental assessments, other experts note. Sensitive species and ecosystems do not have to be sacrificed to cut greenhouse gases to safe levels, says Manville. Renewable energy can be developed in a comprehensive, sustainable way by building wind facilities and solar arrays in the right places, he adds. For example, he continues, careful environmental analysis and evaluation of alternatives under NEPA could reveal that wind farms in the Appalachians need only be moved to an alternative site two miles away to avoid wildlife impacts. The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), which is within the Executive Office of the President and is charged with overseeing NEPA, is consulting with federal agencies that are considering whether one-stop permitting should be expanded into a formal program, says Horst Greczmiel, associate director for NEPA oversight at CEQ. “We want to make sure that the NEPA process is linked to the permitting process,” he says. Regarding the expediting of environmental reviews, “If expediting means taking advantage of the opportunities to move the process forward as expeditiously as possible while complying with the law, then it shouldn’t be a problem,” he concludes. —JANET PELLEY
