- I wrote an analysis of wind energy politics in the U.S. I used information from Google News, Google Scholar, Access World News and the U.S. Department of Energy as my research databases. I also evaluated the credibility of each source.
Local News:
There is growing opposition to wind energy from Republicans in Kansas, according to the Kansas Reflector. Proponents of anti-wind energy bills claim negative health effects caused by wind turbines.
Renewable energy brought a new growing job market to Kansas, according to KUMW.
Organized opposition to wind energy in Kansas has been around since 2014, according to LJ World 2014
article. There was a protest in Marshall County, Kansas due to health effects and concerns about property devaluation because of wind turbines construction.
In Kansas, Wind accounted for 42.2% of all electricity produced in the state in 2020. That’s second only to Iowa in the proportion of energy drawn from wind, according to KUMW. The wind industry in the state brings in about $48 million a year in lease payments to landowners.
Kansas Republicans claim that renewable energy causes damage to roads and infrastructure, according to a Kansas Reflector article. Sen. Mark Thompson presented a bill that’s detrimental to renewable energy development, but the bill failed.
National News:
U.S. federal agencies are working against President Joe Biden’s plans to advance renewable energy in the U.S., according to the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Agencies include the U.S. Postal Service, the T.V.A, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Ohio law favors oil corporations against renewable energy developers, according to WKSU.
According to WKSU, “GOP lawmakers have since passed prohibitive restrictions on land-based wind farms, removed the renewable mandates, and given leaders at the county level the power to veto renewable projects.”
According to the New York Times: “Although the average cost of generating electricity from wind and solar sources is now lower than from fossil fuels in the U.S., the T.V.A. said that it would be more expensive to tap solar energy for its needs.”
Data:
Kansas is one of the biggest producers of wind energy, according to Land-Based Wind Market Report from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Scholarly Research:
There is a lack of concern about renewable energy politics. Economic and scientific contexts often are
emphasized more in scholarly research, according to a study. There are several possibilities for political
patterns with renewable energy growth, including:
- Government starts with small goals and later expands beyond its initial aims.
- Policies are initially supportive of renewable energy, but opposition later ensues.
In order for renewable energy to develop:
- There should be a stronger emphasis on the political context of renewable energy development.
- The government should be mindful of the high costs of renewable energy developments because this can cause public opposition.
According to information gathered from the local news section, Kansas seems to have followed the patterns discussed in the study, with a rapid expansion in wind energy development and ensuing political controversy. However, with Kansas, cost doesn’t seem to be the issue at hand. Rather, it’s health concerns.
Abdullah Al-Awhad 