Energy Infrastructure
Energy Infrastructure. I’m Greg Martin as Line On Agriculture presents the Harvest Clean Energy Report.
Developing clean energy depends a great deal on getting it from point “A” to point “B”. Bob Williams with
WILLIAMS: I think this is a topic that everyone knows is out there but there has been perhaps some reluctance to raise it. In North America, the situation that we face today is very little transmission infrastructure has been built anywhere in
Obviously without that infrastructure it would not matter how many wind turbines, solar arrays or whatever we build.
WILLIAMS: The world has turned a lot in that intervening 20 years. Landowner expectations, I think, have evolved dramatically in that time where they believe that the historical model for compensation which was really based on compensating them for any unmitigated impacts on their operations which is typically agriculture isn’t sufficient compensation for what they provide to the greater public.
Williams says that the regulatory model has also evolved over time to include full public participation.
WILLIAMS: That’s because that’s what society demands. Infrastructure projects and other projects only go ahead after a full and complete public review of the project. What the impacts are and how those impacts can be mitigated and to make that those projects are in the public interest. It’s important that companies developing infrastructure like this really understand the local community and what the concerns are.
Landowners, according to Williams, have become the most important part of the infrastructure puzzle.
WILLIAMS: Landowners have become the first among equals. They are certainly not the only member of the public whose voice is heard and has input into this but I think it’s fair to say that the landowner concerns are now probably the number one priority. Landowners have become “the” most important player in the development of linear infrastructure.
For additional information on clean energy, visit harvestcleanenergy.org. That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
