Procedural justice in wind facility siting: Recommendations for state-led siting processes

Evidence suggests that state control of wind facility siting decisions fosters new project development more effectively than local control, yet the literature suggests that affected citizens tend to be more fairly represented in local siting processes. We argue that successful renewable energy policy must satisfy both the need for new project development and the obligation to procedural justice. To suggest how it can do so, we analyze existing state- and county-level siting processes in Washington state, finding that both fall short on measures of procedural justice. To overcome this limitation and address the tension between procedural justice and project development, we then propose a collaborative governance approach to wind facility siting, in which state governments retain ultimate authority over permitting decisions but encourage and support local-level deliberations as the primary means of making those decisions. Such an approach, we argue, would be more just, facilitate wind development by addressing community concerns constructively and result in better projects through the input of diverse stakeholders. •States have made wind energy development a priority.•Local opposition to new projects could hinder future wind energy development.•Procedural justice is necessary to resolve local issues and ensure timely wind facility siting.•Both state- and county-led siting processes fall short with respect to criteria for procedural justice, though local processes have some advantages.•States could instead induce counties, developers to engage in deliberation.