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PUBLIC POLICY UPDATE
Building a Bridge Between Renewable Energy and Land Conservation
By Matt Leahy
The intensified commitment to act on climate change has led to calls for businesses, nonprofits, and governments to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The approaches under consideration to reach that goal would all require a significant shift away from the dirty fossil fuels that currently power the world economy and a shift towards the full-scale use of green energy. For the land trust community, the phasing out of fossil fuels brings with it an important public policy challenge. Specifically, how do we lessen the potential for conflict between renewable energy development and land conservation goals?
That is not a hypothetical question. The International Energy Agency says that almost 90 percent of global electricity generation in 2050 must come from renewable sources—with solar photovoltaic and wind together accounting for nearly 70 percent— according to its May 2021 report, Net Zero by 2050: a Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector. Another report, Princeton University’s Net-Zero America, states the United States will need to expand its electricity transmission systems by 60 percent by 2030, and may need to triple it by 2050. It further found that the country must accelerate the pace at which we are electrifying the transportation sector.
However, the Princeton report also cautions:
“A critical issue for driving this cleanenergy agenda is where new solar panel and wind turbine manufacturing facilities are built, and where the solar and wind farms themselves are sited, along with biofuel production plants. The research provides city and regional maps that show where it is least costly to build these facilities and where they integrate into the energy system most efficiently. But this does not account for the social and human aspects of where to construct new infrastructure.
While that last sentence may be a euphemism for “opposition, ” it does correctly imply that as the country assesses our energy needs, policymakers, regulators, and energy developers must take into account the benefits that forested landscapes and protected areas bring to the public good. In addition to providing drinking water, clean air, and protection from natural disasters like floods, forests are a key tool in fighting climate change by absorbing and storing carbon. It would be ironic if the net-zero commitment undermined the benefits of natural resource protection, for example, by siting an energy facility adjacent to an important wildlife habitat. Therefore, we must ensure the ramped-up efforts to meet renewable energy goals are in coordination with the on-going work to conserve our natural areas.
Obviously, the world will continue to need and use energy; the aim should not be to block any and all renewable energy projects. But, in order to meet net-zero carbon emissions goals without undermining the public and private investments in land conservation, the shift to clean sources should incorporate these targets: • First, and most importantly, highlight how forested landscapes are a critical tool to address the threats climate change poses to people. Any comprehensive, national strategy must include
ways to increase the capacity for forests to sequester and store carbon. In other words, incorporate natural solutions into the overarching policy. • Incentivize siting these renewable energy generation facilities on lands that have already been disturbed. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s
Re-Powering Program estimates there are enough current and formerly contaminated lands in the country, such as landfills and Brownfield sites, to supply 1.3 million megawatts of solar energy. • Increase net-metering limits in order to promote more home-grown energy.
Doing so will reduce the strain on the electricity grid. • Increase energy efficiency measures.
Other actions often overshadow it, however, energy efficiency is described as the least expensive and cleanest energy resource. Using less energy to provide the same level of services not only lowers the demand on the grid but also reduces the level of carbon emissions.
While there are likely more steps we can take beyond those listed here, we should ensure that natural solutions— keeping forests as forests—also become embedded in the policy actions needed to address this crisis.
Far from being in conflict, renewable energy and forests are actually allies.
Matt Leahy is the public policy manager for the Forest Society.
The Forest Society thanks our business partners for their generous support
Summit Circle ($5,000 and up)
Asplundh Tree Expert Company BCM Environmental & Land Law, PLLC Ed Reilly Subaru Merrimack County Savings Bank Peabody & Smith Realty Inc. Seaboard International Forest Products, LLC Whalen Public & Media Relations, LLC Trustees’ Circle ($2,500 to $4,999)
Northeast Delta Dental The Secret Agency, LLC President’s Circle ($1,000 to $2,499)
Checkmate Payroll Services Community Toolbox, Inc. Garden Life, LLC Lumbard & Kellner, LLC Martin Forestry Consulting, LLC Mulligan Forest, LLC New England Private Wealth Advisors, LLC Northland Forest Products, Inc. Pennyroyal Hill Land Surveying and Forestry LLC Ransmeier & Spellman, P.C. Rockywold-Deephaven Camps, Inc. SCM Associates, Inc. Wipfli LLP Steward ($750 to $999)
EOS Research Partner ($500 to $749)
Arcomm Communications Corporation Blue Mountain Forest Association Bronnenberg Logging & Trucking, LLC Capitol Craftsman, LLC Devine, Millimet & Branch, P.A. Durgin and Crowell Lumber Co., Inc. GMEC, Inc. Gunstock Mountain Resort Half Moon Enterprises LockNLube The Lyme Timber Company LP Middleton Building Supply, Inc. The Music Mill Pine Springs R.M. Piper, Inc. Placework Samyn-d’Elia Architects, P.A. Zambon Brothers Logging Colleague ($250 to $499)
Altus Engineering Ambit Engineering, Inc. Bangor Savings Bank Black North, LLC Blaktop, Inc. Dublin Road Tap Room and Eatery Eastern Mountain Sports Fuller’s Sugarhouse, LLC Great Brook Veterinary Clinic, LLC Innovative Natural Resource Solutions, LLC J and M Morse Trucking, LLC Kozikowski Properties, LLC Lenk Orthodontics Limington Lumber Company Meadowsend Timberlands Ltd. New England Biolabs, Inc. New England Flower Farms North Woodlands, Inc. Rise Private Wealth Management, Inc. River’s Bend Woodworking Studio, LLC Shoppe1921 Tri-State Iron Works, Inc. Twin State Sand & Gravel Co., Inc. Whole Wealth Management, LLC Matching Gift Companies
AARP ADP Aetna Foundation Allegro MicroSystems, LLC American Biltrite Charitable Trust American International Group, Inc. America’s Charities Ameriprise Financial Employee Gift
Matching Program Amica Companies Foundation Autodesk Foundation Automatic Data Processing, Inc. Bank of America The Boeing Company Bose Corporation Boston Scientific CA, Inc. Matching Gifts Program Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Chevron Human Energy Chroma Technology Corp. Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation, Inc. Crestwood Advisors Dell Employee Giving Program Erie Insurance ExxonMobil Foundation Facebook, Inc. Matching Gift Companies (continued)
FM Global Foundation Gartner, Inc. General Electric Google, LLC Graham Holdings Company Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company Grove Street Fiduciary, Inc. Hewlett Packard Company Foundation The Home Depot Foundation Honeywell International, Inc. IBM Corporation Intel Corporation Jefferies, LLC John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated JP Morgan Chase Foundation Liberty Mutual Insurance Lincoln Financial Group Foundation Lumina Foundation for Education Markem-Imaje Corporation MassMutual McKinsey & Company Medtronic Merck Partnership for Giving Meredith Corporation Microsoft Matching Gifts Program MilliporeSigma Motorola Solutions MSD Capital National Grid The Norfolk & Dedham Group Novartis Nuance Foundation, Inc. Oracle Corporation OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. PayPal Giving Fund Pfizer, Inc. Premier, Inc. Riverstone Resources, LLC SAP Software Solutions Seaboard International Forest Products, LLC Shell Oil Company TD Ameritrade Matching Gifts Program Textron Matching Gift Program The Travelers Companies, Inc. TriPyramid Structures, Inc. UnitedHealth Group UNUM Matching Gifts Program Verizon Foundation The Vertex Foundation Waters Corporation
We are grateful to the many businesses that support the Forest Society with gifts of less than $250. The Forest Society…Where Conservation and Business Meet
For information about business memberships, or to initiate a gift membership program for your clients or employees, please contact Anne Truslow at (603) 224-9945 or atruslow@forestsociety.org.
