Local Attitudes Toward Energy Projects, with Holly Caggiano and Sara Constantino
Sep 30, 2024
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Holly Caggiano, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, and Sara Constantino, an assistant professor at Stanford University, dive into local perspectives on energy projects in Pennsylvania. They explore how proximity to homes and job creation influence public support, revealing a strong preference for solar over nuclear energy. The conversation highlights the critical role of local elected officials in representing community interests and discusses how childhood experiences shape their careers in environmental economics.
Local residents prefer renewable energy projects that are situated farther away from their homes, with significant opposition to projects within two miles due to perceived negative impacts.
Community benefits, especially job creation and ownership structure, play a critical role in shaping public support and satisfaction for various energy projects, highlighting misalignment with local elected officials' perceptions of constituents' preferences.
Deep dives
Impact of Project Proximity
The distance of energy projects from residential areas plays a significant role in determining public support, with individuals showing a marked preference for projects located further away. Specifically, residents expressed a strong dislike for projects within two miles of their homes, correlating this proximity with a seven percentage point decrease in support when compared to projects sited fifty miles away. Although a slight trend indicated no substantial difference in support between projects at five, ten, and fifty miles, the opposition to projects that are too close remains significant. This suggests that while visual impacts are a concern, actual support may be more influenced by the perceived economic benefits and ownership structure of these projects.
Preferences for Energy Types
Public opinion trends indicate a clear preference for solar energy projects over other types such as onshore wind, nuclear energy, and natural gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS). Support for solar was found to be seven percentage points higher compared to natural gas projects, with notable differences across political affiliations; Democrats displayed more pronounced preferences for solar and opposition to nuclear energy than their Republican counterparts. The reasons behind this preference may stem from varying familiarity with these energy types and the historical context of nuclear incidents, such as the Three Mile Island accident. This finding highlights the importance of contextual factors in shaping public perception of energy projects.
The Importance of Community Benefits
The survey revealed that projects perceived to provide community benefits, especially the creation of jobs and community ownership, strongly influence public support. Projects that were associated with permanent job creation saw a twelve percentage point increase in support, while those that threatened job losses led to similar reductions in backing. Additionally, community-owned projects garnered a five percentage point increase in public support compared to those owned by American companies, while foreign ownership was linked to a dramatic seventeen percentage point decrease in support. This emphasizes the critical role of tangible local benefits in fostering greater acceptance of new energy projects.
Misalignment Between Officials and Public Preferences
A significant finding of the research highlights the disconnect between local elected officials' perception of community preferences and the actual preferences of residents. While officials tended to share similar preferences regarding project types and ownership, they underestimated the strong community support for solar energy and the importance of job creation in influencing public opinion. This misalignment suggests that local policymakers might not be adequately informed about their constituents' true priorities, leading to potential barriers in advancing clean energy initiatives. Bridging this gap through improved communication and outreach could enhance the alignment between public sentiments and policy decisions.
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Holly Caggiano, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, and Sara Constantino, an assistant professor at Stanford University, about the preferences of local residents and elected officials for large-scale energy projects in Pennsylvania. Caggiano and Constantino discuss factors that influence public support for renewable energy projects and the occasional misalignment between the perceived preferences and actual preferences of constituents from the perspective of their local elected officials.
References and recommendations:
“Community benefits can build bipartisan support for large-scale energy infrastructure” by Holly Caggiano, Sara M. Constantino, Chris Greig, and Elke U. Weber; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-024-01585-9
“The People’s Republic of Valerie, Living Room Edition” by Kristen Kosmas; https://53rdstatepress.org/Kosmas-The-People-s-Republic-of-Valerie-Living-Room-Edition
“Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor” by Rob Nixon; https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674072343
“Long Problems: Climate Change and the Challenge of Governing Across Time” by Thomas Hale Jr.; https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691238128/long-problems
“The Overstory” by Richard Powers; https://www.richardpowers.net/the-overstory/
Climate & Community Institute reports; https://climateandcommunity.org/research/
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