Prospects for Alternative Energy Development in the U.S. West

This book poses the question of whether identifiable individual-level attributes (e.g., values, interests, knowledge, demographic characteristics) lead to support for or opposition to the development and implementation of alternative energy technologies. In recent years, attempts to site alternative energy technologies (e.g., wind, solar, wave) have been met by intense opposition from a variety of sources, including many environmentalists from whom one might expect support for non-carbon based renewable energy initiatives. This volume argues that there are indeed such discernible attributes, and moreover that the identification and exploration are important for the development of support strategies for the well-informed and achievable siting of such technologies.

Broadens our understanding of public support and opposition to alternative energy technologies Explores how environmentally oriented citizens weigh the environmental trade-offs concerning the siting of alternative energy technologies Provides case studies of alternative energy siting controversies Identifies best practices for future siting considerations Valuable to students and policy makers interested in the promotion of alternative energy technologies

Autorentext

John C. Pierce

John Pierce (Ph.D., University of Minnesota) is Faculty Research Associate and Lecturer in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas and Graduate Faculty in the School of Public Policy at Oregon State University. Pierce is author or co-author of approximately 20 books and monographs and 150 articles, chapters and essays.

Brent S. Steel

Brent S. Steel is Professor and Director of the Public Policy Graduate Program in the School of Public Policy at Oregon State University. He teaches courses in comparative public policy, politics and administration. Steel is co-author of State and Local Government: Prospects for Sustainability (Oxford University Press) and editor of Science and Politics: An A to Z Guide to Issues and Controversies (Sage).

Inhalt

PART I: INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT.- 1. Tradeoffs.- PART II: CASE STUDIES .- 2. Background: Energy Use, Capacity, and Policies.- 3. Calico Solar Project.- Kittitas Valley Wind Power Project.- 5. Newberry Crater Geothermal.- 6. Oregon Coast Wave Energy.- PART III: SURVEYS.- 7. The Tradeoff Terrain.- 8. A Matter of Values?.- 9. The Devil You Know.- 10. The Role of Energy Policy Beliefs.- 11. Knowledge: Levels and Sources.- 12. Information Source Reliance and Alternative Energy Tradeoffs.- 13. What has been learned? Process and Values Matter.- Appendix A. State Energy Profiles.- Appendix B. Survey Instrument and Frequencies.