Trouble for Renewables in Rhode Island, Oregon, Iowa, and More

1. Newport County, Rhode Island – I’ve learned that climate activists in Rhode Island are now using local protests to oppose NIMBYs who are challenging renewables projects.

• On Sept. 19, members of Climate Action Rhode Island – a local offshoot of 350.org – will be on the ground disrupting the entrance to a lavish dinner hosted by the Preservation Society of Newport County, a wealthy architectural conservation group that sued federal regulators over their approval of Eversource’s Revolution offshore wind project.
• As that lawsuit works its way through the courts, activists are using local opposition to draw public attention to the Preservation Society and portray it as an obstacle to progress on decarbonization with op-eds, meetings, and now more protests.
• Nick Horton of Climate Action Rhode Island told me that this public awareness campaign may also target the TV network HBO, as its show “The Gilded Age” has been filmed at the Preservation Society’s historic mansions.
• “I think broadly speaking the environmental movement really needs to start organizing around the threat of NIMBYism, and needs to start identifying these NIMBY organizations as prime bad actors in the pushback against the renewable energy transition,” Horton said.

2. Coos County, Oregon – The Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians have sued the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management requesting it delay an offshore wind lease sale scheduled on Oct. 15.

• The tribes are opposing offshore wind for many of the same reasons tribes in California and Washington state have fought against development – impacting the viewshed could hinder tribal cultural practices. This litigation also cites potential environmental impacts and requests additional government analysis.
• This lawsuit arrives as two coastal counties – Coos and Curry – will vote this November on a non-binding ballot measure expressing opposition to offshore wind.

3. Polk County, Iowa – Landowners have sued the Iowa Utilities Commission over permitting the Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 pipeline and providing eminent domain authority, the latest in a string of setbacks that has galvanized local opposition from the midwest to the Dakotas.

• Fresh off news of the lawsuit, Gevo – a sustainable aviation fuel startup that plans to use the pipeline to transport its products – today announced it acquired a new biofuels plant in North Dakota that it said can “mitigate risk” tied to the South Dakota plant it plans to link to Summit.
• I spoke with Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber last month about Summit and his answer presaged this move: “When do we need a pipeline? Do I need it tomorrow? Nope. I don’t need it until 2027, 2028, I have a lot of time here. I don’t need it until then. I’ve got options, really. We have a lot of game to play still.”
• I’ll be watching for future developments in the Summit saga as well as whether CO2 pipeline opposition is fueling local moratoria against solar and wind as well.

4. Houston County, Georgia – One of Georgia’s largest proposed solar projects has been rejected by a potential host county over its potential impacts to bear habitat and property values.

• The roughly 4,600-acre Silicon Ranch solar project would be built next to a wilderness management area in an area home to black bears.
• After reviewing county planning meeting minutes and local press reports, it appears these nature concerns galvanized residents, as well as recent legal challenges against other solar projects and home value concerns.
• I’m watching this project because I’m seeing this fight pop up in opposition Facebook group discussions likely due to wildlife impacts. As Heatmap’s internal polling shows, bipartisan opposition to renewables is strongest when it involves concerns about animals.

Here’s what else I’m watching…

• In southern Georgia, Brooks County is facing an outcry against a NextEra solar project so loud it’s spurring momentum for a moratorium. Bizarrely, news coverage of the backlash and ensuing public hearing has rippled across airwaves in other parts of the country too, from Michigan to New York.
• In Kansas, Orsted’s efforts to expand the Sunflower wind farm have triggered a local moratorium – effective now.
• In Maryland, a 70-mile power line proposed by Public Service Enterprise Group is beginning to face local opposition, including from local leaders in Baltimore County.
• In New York, a family seeking to let BlueWave Solar build on their farm is facing the wrath of its neighbors.

In Washington state, Scout Clean Energy’s embattled Horse Heaven wind farm project has gotten the blessing of the state’s energy siting authority. The final approval now goes to Gov. Jay Inslee.