Thread by @pwrhungry

Here's my latest in @RealClearEnergy on the ongoing backlash against big renewables. Butler Cty, OH, banned #wind & #solar projects in 12 townships. The ban marks the 344th rejection of wind in the US over the past decade. @LinowesLisa

realclearenergy.org/articles/2022/…

@RealClearEnergy @LinowesLisa As I have reported many times, the raging backlash against the renewable industry doesn’t fit the convenient narrative that wind and solar are “green” and that they are “cheaper” than traditional forms of energy production. /2

These rejections are not being covered by The New York Times or National Public Radio, but they reflect the growing outrage in rural American towns and counties over the land grab that is being attempted by some of America’s biggest companies in the name of climate change. /3

Further, as siting wind and solar projects has gotten more difficult, big renewable companies are resorting to hardball legal tactics to intimidate location communities into accepting projects they do not want. /4

For example, in May, Chicago-based Invenergy, the world’s largest privately held renewable energy company, sued Worth County, Iowa as part of an effort to force the county to accept a wind project the county doesn’t want. /5

That lawsuit came after MidAmerican Energy, a subsidiary of corporate behemoth Berkshire Hathaway, sued Madison County, Iowa, the province known for its picturesque wooden bridges. /6

Over the past few months, Iowa, Ohio, and Wisconsin have emerged as the epicenter of the rural backlash against Big Wind and, increasingly, Big Solar. Ohio is particularly notable because last year, Senate Bill 52 took effect. /7

That measure allows counties to prohibit the construction of renewable projects. As reported by EnergyWire, “Policy support for renewables has been eroding in Ohio for a decade.” /8

SB 52 provides a clear example of the growing urban-rural divide when it comes to renewable energy policy. The bill was signed into law by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, (a Republican) passed through both chambers of the Ohio legislature but it did not get a single Democratic vote. /9

The ban covers “all unincorporated areas within Reily Township, Fairfield Township, Hanover Township, Liberty Township, Madison Township, Milford Township, Morgan Township, Oxford Township, Ross Township, St. Clair Township, Wayne Township, and West Chester Township.” /10

Butler County has 13 townships. Of those, 12 are included in the ban on new wind and solar. I’ll conclude with another quote from Callahan’s coverage of the Butler County ban on large renewable projects. /11

County Commissioner Cindy Carpenter, who said the county agreed to implement the ban because local township officials “speak to us as the voice of the citizens. So I have decided to support their request.”
Again, here's a link to the article: realclearenergy.org/articles/2022/…

And here's a link to the Renewable Rejection Database: /FIN

robertbryce.com/renewable-reje…