UNDERSTANDING BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY TRANSITIONS IN NEW YORK STATE

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1014530
• Project Start Date: Nov 6, 2017
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2021
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
ITHACA,NY 14853

Performing Department
Natural Resources

Non Technical Summary
All NY residents are affected by the environmental, social, and economic tradeoffs of energy development. Upstate NY has experienced considerable public debate on leasing and legislation for natural gas development as well as large scale solar and wind farms. NY is aggressively pursuing renewable energy development, as articulated in the Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) action plan. Debate on energy development also reflects the current balance of power between upstate and downstate: although there is strong general support for renewables, policy is often made and seen through the lens of up- or downstate interests. Most land available for renewable energy generation and transmission is Upstate. Upstate faces "backyard" land use choices between priorities that can conflict with REV goals. The transition toward renewable energy depends on the willingness of Upstate and Downstate communities to constructively engage with the REV. An emerging dialogue suggests a growing number of upstate locations may resist pressure to accept renewable energy projects that meet state goals. How communities view the push toward renewable energy and secure their interests will drive REV success or failure.In response, this project investigates New York State's renewable energy (RE) transition. We explore upstate/downstate tensions in RE, and how public engagement can be used to alleviate them. We draw on experience in outreach and research on regional energy development. Using surveys and interviews with stakeholders, as well as analysis of policy documents, we will identify key social and policy barriers for renewable energy development in NY, and offer solutions for addressing these challenges.

Animal Health Component

60%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

40%

Applied

60%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
803	6099	3080	100%

Knowledge Area
803 - Sociological and Technological Change Affecting Individuals, Families, and Communities;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3080 - Sociology;

Keywords

renewable energy

rural community well being

political partisanship

land use

social science

Goals / Objectives
Our Research goals are to:A) Study upstate rural landowner views on 1) renewable energy development (RED) relative to other development/land use opportunities; 2) how the rural landscape/community might be affected by RED; (3) willingness to lease land for RED (both for production and transmission); (4) the social factors that affect the acceptance of energy transitions at the local level, including procedural equity/access to decision making processes, the perceived and actual distribution of transition costs and benefits at the both the individual and community levels, and the role of political ideology, focusing specifically on ideological polarization.B) Explore the perspective of policy makers, focusing on RED and rural life. Topics that will be specifically examined may include: Is renewable energy development used for community development? Is there awareness of the possibility of a distinctively renewable energy boom-bust cycle? How do regional policy makers view Albany's energy initiatives, and do those view diverge in critical ways? How do downstate legislators view rural interests?C) Analyze the policy dialogue unfolding around rural RED (i.e. the key actors, their perceptions of how decisions are made and how costs/benefits are distributed) as well as the policy/regulatory landscape (i.e. how key regulations have changed and may change in the future.) How do state representatives' voting record and public statements concerning RED differ from constituent attitudes? Does a representative/constituent divergence in RED attitude influence which state representatives publically support RED initiatives or not?Our Extension goals are to:(A) Use research results and engagement with key stakeholders to develop and interpret new insights into future lease-up/re-leasing cycles, with information specifically targeted towards leasing around renewables.B) Summarize and disseminate information on key regulations affecting renewable energy to better inform landowners, including current and potential lessorsC) Update resources for CCE and other existing outreach efforts, on landowner decisions. Focus on helping get CCE and CaRDI's policyconstituencies informed about the issues addressed.D) Develop and implement an outreach plan for municipal officials and other community leaders that focuses on community-level impacts, while providing guidance on how outreach can improve decision making in the face of controversy.E) Add to energy literacy work of past 5 years, creating new PPT presentations, online & print resources.F) Document research protocols to guide community researchers.

Project Methods
Research Outcomes1) Understand, at a broad scale, differences and similarities in perceptions of renewable energy between upstate and downstate residents.2) Understand in detail, through qualitative and quantitative methods, the beliefs and attitudes of rural landowners/residents about RED: is an energy transition occurring; what is their willingness (for those to whom this applies) to lease their land; what is their sense of how an energy transition may affect the sustainability of the rural landscape including agriculture, and community well-being; and the factors--economic, ideological, and other--that shape this view of the energy transition.3) Understand in detail, through qualitative and quantitative methods, the experiences of landowners who have leased their property for solar/wind developments (as described in detail above), and their attitudes about RED, and RED organizations: is an energy transition occurring; how does it affect the sustainability of the rural landscape and community well-being; and the factors--economic, ideological, and other--that shape this view of the energy transition.4) Understand, through review of policy documents, and through interviews with those intimately involved in energy policy, the larger policy landscape that affects the renewable energy transition.5) Identify, through an integration of each of the above efforts, specific barriers to rural renewable energy development that may hinder or slow New York's energy plan, as well as the opportunities that policymakers might engage to improve the energy plan.Outreach Outcomes1) a more educated and involved citizenry regarding RED, 2) building on the networks of stakeholders and interests established through the RoGR, better informed stakeholder participation in policy making, 3) improved capacity of Cooperative Extension educators, municipal planners, local government officials, regional and state environmental and agricultural organizations, and other interested local educators and technical assistance providers to offer quality information and services on this topic, 4) future landowner leasing/re-leasing decisions that take into account a broad range of lease options and their implications, considering their implications in aggregate, at the community scale, as well as for individual decision makers 5) communities with long-range plans and policies that take into account available research on renewable energy and its implications and outcomes, 6) up to date education resources about key leasing issues that incorporate evidence-based understandings of the relationships between technical/engineering potentials and socioeconomic, legal and regulatory forces in shaping large scale energy (and similar so-called "socio-technical" ) transitions. Research outcomes will be measured by 1) the extent to which we can understand public attitudes towards RED, and identify the specific drivers of these perceptions; (2) measure and understand the potential positive and negative impacts of renewable energy transitions, the factors that affect these outcomes, and how they might vary across upstate NY; (3) understand the experiences of those leasing their land for RED, and (4) reflect on the degree to which these findings can be extended beyond NY to compare to other regions undergoing similar (or contrasting) energy transition.Outreach outcomes will be measured by 1) stakeholder participation as assessed by event attendance and composition, 2) the use of outreach materials as measured by website visits, document downloads, and report-backs by CCE county based educators, including participation in and evaluation of all webinars and other events organized by the CCE "Community and Energy Program Work Team" which is co-chaired by one of the proposal Co-PIs 3) real-time evaluations distributed to organized event attendees and other end-users of materials, 4) the number and type of requests for, and responses to requests for participation in, stakeholder-organized meetings, conferences, newsletters, website postings, and others.

Progress 11/06/17 to 09/30/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Our work focuses on several groups: Academics interested in issues related to energy transitions, especially those related to the siting of energy facilities. Local decision makers and natural resource managers who are the on-the-ground decision makers who grapple with the costs and benefits of energy development, and face (for example) zoning challenges. Larger level (i.e., state of New York (NY)) decision makers who engage whether decision making can and should be made at the local level, or at the state level. NGOs such as the Nature Conservancy also are key targets/partners in the work. We have engaged these multiple stakeholders at 'in the field' events, especially in Western and Northern NY, and at roundtable gatherings. More specifically, our audiences included: National Extension Climate Initiative - mostly Extension educators National audience of Elders Climate Action (project of Elders Action Network) Municipal officials, planners, consultants, farmers, extension educators, nonprofits, solar businesses, members of public & community organizations in Central NY Municipal officials, planners, consultants, farmers, extension educators, nonprofits, solar businesses, members of public & community organizations on Long Island and Downstate NY Energy experts, consultants, government officials and others involved with the national Municipal Sustainability and Energy Forum Environmental and farm organizations involved in commenting on NYS climate legislation being implemented Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, Environmental Issues Program Committee Climate Reality Leadership Corps, upstate chapters American Farmland Trust, Solar Policy Advisory Committee Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee Finger Lakes Region, Collective Impact Strategic Advisors Cornell Cooperative Extension Community and Energy Program Work Team 2021 National Sustainability Summit & National Extension Energy Summit planners Changes/Problems:The ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic caused some project delays and required adjustments to our data collection and reporting strategies. Our 2020 survey was scheduled to be implemented in Spring of 2020, but was delayed until the fall of 2020, so data analysis was delayed until 2021 as was in-person data collection to observe the policy dialogue unfolding around rural renewable energy development. This was infeasible over the last two years of the project. However, as activities shifted to virtual formats (e.g., public hearings), we were able to continue many of these observations virtually. Because our data collection was pushed back a year, so too was our analysis and writing/reporting. Due to these challenges, we received the 1 year no-cost extension which allowed us to fulfill our project objectives. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided the data and training for two PhD dissertations (Dylan Bugden and Roberta Nilson and contributed to the MS for another (Frieda Kay). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have produced a comprehensive report through Cornell's Community and Regional Development institute and have had multiple discussions with affected community members/leaseholders based on the survey and interview results. A list of relevant Extension presentations during the project term is listed under "other products": A list of Extension oriented publications includes: Roberta Nilson, David Kay, and Richard Stedman. Challenges of Large-scale Solar Electric Siting in New York State: Part II, The Evolving Permitting Process. Research & Policy Brief Issue 91. July 2020. David Kay, Roberta Nilson, and Richard Stedman. Challenges of Large-Scale Solar Electric Siting in New York State. Research & Policy Brief Issue 89. May 2020. Jennifer Ifft, Travis Grout, David Kay, Dylan Bugden, Frieda Kay, David Lane, Chris Rondem, Richard Stedman, Jeff Sward, and Max Zhang. Large-Scale Solar Information and Research Needs for New York State, CaRDI Report, Issue 18, May 2018. Jenny Ifft, Travis Grout, David Kay, Dylan Bugden, Frieda Kay, David Lane, Chris Rondem, Richard Stedman, Jeff Sward, and Max Zhang. Achieving Large-Scale Solar in New York State: What are the Research & Information Needs? Research & Policy Brief Series, Issue 80, April 2018. In addition, the team has given numerous presentations Climate Change Education at the Community Level: the National Extension Climate Initiative, Community Development Society Virtual Conference, Concurrent Session #9-B: Climate and Community Resilience, July 14, 2021. Implications of Large Solar Installations and Leasing on Farmland, Farming in a Changing Climate: A Two-Part Workshop Series, CCE Oswego County, May 5, 2021. Large Solar Installations: Municipal Planning Considerations, CCE Ag & Solar Summit 2021, May 5, 2021. Large Solar Installations: Community and Regional Impacts, CCE Ag & Solar Summit 2021, May 4, 2021. Agriculture - Technical Working Group, NYSERDA, various meetings, April 15, 2021. Solar Installations on Agricultural Lands, NYSERDA Clean Energy Siting Team and the Land Use Law Center at Pace Law Center facilitated roundtable session, April 22, 2021. Technical Advisory Committee meeting, NERCRD, April 22, 2021. Climate Change in Extension: Elevating and Amplifying Action, National Extension Climate Initiative conference, facilitation and steering committee co-organizer, April 19-21. Better Climate Governance Matters: Supporting Global Climate Action by Improving the Effectiveness of the UNFCCC Meetings, facilitation, Mediators Beyond Borders International co-sponsored online conference, April 19, 2021. Energy Transitions and Policy: New York State's Energiewende (Green New Deal) in the Context of Global Action, invited Atlantic College Lighthouse presentation, March 16, 2021. Climate Education, Communication & Outreach Stakeholders Community (ECOS) UNFCC affiliated Regional Design Charrette, February 16, 2021. Large-scale renewable energy in New York: Policy and Prospects, CEE 4210 Renewable Energy Systems lecture, November 10, 2020 Large-scale renewable energy in New York: issues of governance, community participation, and benefit sharing, Perspectives in International Development Seminar Series IARD/NTRES/AEM/PLSCS 6960, November 4, 2020 Equity Considerations in Large-scale Renewable Energy Siting: Lessons from New York Elders Climate Action Monthly National Call, August 25, 2020. Land use implications of large scale solar development, National Extension Climate Initiative, July 9, 2020. Large Scale Solar, Town of Lansing Conservation Advisory Council, Ithaca NY, June 4, 2020. Large Scale Solar: The Footprint in Rural Landscapes, Annual Agricultural Summit, Tompkins County Extension, Ithaca NY, April 24, 2020. Planning for Large Scale Solar Electricity Facilities in NYS, 32nd Annual Planning Symposium, Onondaga County Planning Federation, Syracuse NY, March 12, 2020. Educational Institutions working on Community Energy Programs, Municipal Sustainability and Energy Forum, webinar, March 9, 2020. New York's Solar Electricity Goals and Agriculture, Solar Energy and the Future of Farming in the Mohawk Valley, March 7, Robert McLaughlin College Center, 2020. New York's Solar Electricity Goals and Agriculture, American Farmland Trust, Combatting Climate Change: Solar Energy, Farming and the Future in NY, Hotel Indigo Riverhead Long Island, November 13, 2019 Lucrative Sustainability for Cities, Municipal Sustainability and Energy Forum, webinar, October 29, 2019 Climate of Change: How NYC is preparing for its environmental challenges, United World College NYC Chapter panel presentation. New York University, September 14, 2019. Engaging with conflict constructively: the nexus between peaceful and inclusive societies (SDG 16) and climate change (SDG13), collaboration with a Mediators Beyond Borders International workshop in conjunction with the UN High Level Political Forum, Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice, NYC, July 12, 2019. Informed Decision Making in the Southern Tier Central Region. Southern Tier Central Regional Planning & Development Board, monthly training, May 14, 2019. Research on Issues Facing Academic Efforts to Better Inform Local Policy Making: The Case of Renewable Energy, National Sustainability Summit & National Extension Energy Summit, Tampa Fl, April 18, 2019, Large Scale Solar Development in NYS, CCE System Conference 2019: Seeds of Change, April 10, 2019. The Green New Deal: Pathway to Ecological Sustainability? Tompkins County Environmental Management Council panel, March 12, 2019. Community processes/Cornell research, American Farmland Trust's North Country Farmland Protection Forum: Smart Solar Siting in NYS, Gouverneur Community Center, November 15, 2018. David Kay, Escaping the Resource Curse: Comparative Perspectives on Accommodating and Benefitting from Energy Development in Rural Communities, panelist with Julia Haggerty as moderator, International Symposium on Society and Resource Management (ISSRM) 2018, Snowbird Utah, June 21, 2018 David Kay, Transitioning to Renewable Energy: Educating to Preempt Polarization about Solar Energy, NACDEP annual conference, Cleveland Ohio, June 11, 2018. David Kay, Working with Cities on Energy and Sustainability: How NY State and the Nature Conservancy worked together on consensus", Municipal Sustainability and Energy Forum, June 5, 2018 The Academy and Local Policy Makers: A Focus on Controversial Issues, Bridging Science & Policy in the Sustainable Development Era, 2018 Polson Institute Future of Development Symposium, Panel 4: The Policy Making Process, Klarman Hall Cornell, Friday May 11, 2018. Renewables on the Ground roundtable panelist, 2018 NY Land Trust Symposium, April 24, 2018. Communities and Project Reviews, presentation at the Town Gown Conference on Sustainability, Cornell Office of Community Relations, Marriott Hotel, Ithaca NY April 2, 2018 David Kay, "Economic and Other Arguments for Obtaining Rural Community Buy-In on Renewable Energy", Municipal Sustainability & Energy Forum, http://mseforum.com/archives/, December 12, 2017 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We implemented a mail survey of public perceptions of energy, climate and solar development in 3 regions of NY: one in the Adirondacks/North Country, one in Western NY and one in the Albany urban area. We received 575 responses for a response rate of 18.4%, and conducted a non-response bias check by phone with 150 non-respondents. The survey measures perceived access to decision making, attitudes towards solar development across scales (rooftop, community, utility), and perceived fit of solar development across land types and regions. We also conducted qualitative data collection, (e.g. we conducted phone interviews with 14 town supervisors from towns with proposed utility solar projects, conducted multiple other key-informant interviews with developers and state employees, analyzed public policy documents related to solar siting policy, attended town board meetings to observe discussion of a proposed solar projects, and attended 5 webinars about renewable energy policy hosted by New York State (NYS)). These interviews, observations and public comments contributed to the design of our mail survey and provide important context to supplement our survey findings and help answer our research goals related to the perspective of policy makers and analysis of the policy dialogue unfolding around rural RED. We also made numerous extension related presentations and wrote policy briefs designed for NYS general audiences. In addition, we participated in a number of ongoing energy transition dialogues pertaining to related Extension audiences or/and policy issues. Some of these involvements were with the Agricultural Technical Working Group (A-TWG) for NYSERDA, the Extension Committee on Policy's Climate Priority Implementation Team, the National Extension Climate Initiative's steering committee, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County's Environmental Issues Program Committee, Climate Reality Project's Finger Lakes Greater Region NY Chapter, Rochester Climate Solutions Accelerator's Collective Impact Strategic Advisors, Gown Advisory Council, Town+Gown, New York City (NYC) Department of Design and Construction, 2017-present, theTechnical Advisory Committee of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, Mediators Beyond Borders International's Climate Change Project, the Tompkins CountyPlanning Advisory Board, the Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy, the Pace University Land Use Law Center, and the Community and Energy Cooperative Extension Program Work Team, the ASTRO Working Group (Agriculture & Solar Together: Research and Outreach), , American Farmland Trust's NYS Smart Solar Siting Traffic Light Project Advisory Committee, the NYS Ag and Food Production Needs Research Advisory Committee, the EcoVillage at Ithaca Board of Directors, and the National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL partnerships committee. While only a few of these relationships were focused primarily on the subject matter of our project, all of them afforded opportunities for exchanging information and highlighting our work whether variously in our roles as participants, as presenters, or as organizing or other standing committee members.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Nilson, R. S., & Stedman, R. C. (2022). Are big and small solar separate things?: The importance of scale in public support for solar energy development in upstate New York. Energy Research & Social Science, 86, 102449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102449
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: *Bugden, D., D. Evensen, and R.C. Stedman. 2017. A drill by any other name: social representations, framing, and legacies of natural resource extraction in the fracking industry. Energy Research and Social Science 29:62-71.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Bugden and Stedman. Landowners and Environmental Justice in the Shale Gas Industry International Symposium on Society and Resource Management (June, 2017)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Energy Impacts Symposium (July, 2017) Landowners and Environmental Justice in the Shale Gas Industry Dylan Bugden, Richard Stedman Landowners and Environmental Justice in the Shale Gas Industry Energy Impacts Symposium (July, 2017)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Dylan Bugden, Richard Stedman Landowners and Environmental Justice in the Shale Gas Industry Rural Sociological Society (July, 2017)
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Sward, J. A., Nilson, R. S., Katkar, V. V., Stedman, R. C., Kay, D. L., Ifft, J. E., & Zhang, K. M. (2020). Integrating social considerations in multicriteria decision analysis for utility-scale solar photovoltaic siting. Applied Energy.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Nilson, R. S., & Stedman, R. C. (Under review at Rural Sociology). Reacting to the rural burden: Perceived energy colonialism and opposition to utility-scale solar development
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kay, D., Nilson, R., & Stedman, R. (2020). Challenges of Large-scale Solar Electric Siting in New York State (No. 89; Research and Policy Brief Series, p. 2). Community and Regional Development Institute, Department of Global Development, Cornell University.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Nilson, R., Kay, D., & Stedman, R. (2020). Challenges of Large-scale Solar Electric Siting in New York State: Part II, The Evolving Permitting Process (No. 91; Research and Policy Brief Series, p. 2). Community and Regional Development Institute, Department of Global Development, Cornell University.
• Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: : Stedman, R., and R. Nilson. 2020. Farming Landscapes, Energy Landscapes, or Both? Using Social Representations to Understand the Impact of Energy Transitions on Rural Sense of Place. Chapter forthcoming for inclusion in Raymond et al. (Eds.) Changing Senses of Place: Navigating Global Challenges.

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Our work focuses on academics interested in issues related to energy transitions, especially those related to the siting of energy facilities. Local decision makers and natural resource managers who are the on-the-ground decision makers who grapple with the costs and benefits of energy development, and face (for example) zoning challenges. Larger level (i.e., state of New York (NY)) decision makers who engage whether decision making can and should be made at the local level, or at the state level. NGOs such as the Nature Conservancy also are key targets/partners in the work. We have engaged these multiple stakeholders at 'in the field' events, especially in W and N New York, and at roundtable gatherings. More specifically, our audiences included: National Extension Climate Initiative - mostly Extension educators National audience of Elders Climate Action (project of Elders Action Network) Municipal officials, planners, consultants, farmers, extension educators, nonprofits, solar businesses, members of public & community organizations in Central NY Municipal officials, planners, consultants, farmers, extension educators, nonprofits, solar businesses, members of public & community organizations on Long Island and Downstate NY Energy experts, consultants, government officials and others involved with the national Municipal Sustainability and Energy Forum Environmental and farm organizations involved in commenting on NYS climate legislation being implemented Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, Environmental Issues Program Committee Climate Reality Leadership Corps, upstate chapters American Farmland Trust, Solar Policy Advisory Committee Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee Finger Lakes Region, Collective Impact Strategic Advisors Cornell Cooperative Extension Community and Energy Program Work Team 2021 National Sustainability Summit & National Extension Energy Summit planners Changes/Problems:The ongoing COVID 19 global pandemic has caused some project delays and required adjustments to our data collection strategies. Our 2020 survey was scheduled to be implemented in Spring of 2020, but was delayed until the fall of 2020, so we are now beginning data analysis. In addition, in-person data collection to observe the policy dialogue unfolding around rural renewable energy development has been infeasible over the last year. However, as activities have shifted to virtual formats (e.g., public hearings), we are now able to continue many of these observations virtually. Due to these challenges, we received the 1 year no-cost extension and are confident that this additional time will allow us to fulfill our research and extension goals. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided the data for one PhD dissertation (Bugden) and is now providing partial data for another (Nilson). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?This year we produced two policy briefs (see Products) which are available online and have been shared with local communities, decision makers, and other stakeholders. We developed and shared presentations with interested citizen groups and other stakeholders (see Other Products). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will analyze the results of our mail survey and qualitative/observational data and produce manuscripts for several journal articles from these findings. In addition, we will share these findings in public presentations, both for the academic community at research conferences and with local and state decision makers and concerned citizens. We will produce summary reports for decision makers and the public with targeted policy recommendations.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We implemented a mail survey of public perceptions of energy, climate and solar development in 3 regions of New York: one in the Adirondacks/North Country, one in Western New York and one in the Albany urban area. We received 575 responses for a response rate of 18.4%, and conducted a non-response bias check by phone with 150 non-respondents. The survey measures perceived access to decision making, attitudes towards solar development across scales (rooftop, community, utility), and perceived fit of solar development across land types and regions. Also during this reporting period, we conducted phone interviews with 13 town supervisors from towns with proposed utility solar projects, attended one town board meeting to observe discussion of a proposed solar project, and attended 5 webinars about renewable energy policy hosted by New York State. We analyzed 97 public comments submitted by residents about a proposed utility solar project, coding the responses by support or opposition to the project to identify themes in their perspectives. These interviews, observations and public comments contributed to the design of our mail survey and provide important context to supplement our survey findings and help answer our research goals related to the perspective of policy makers and analysis of the policy dialogue unfolding around rural RED.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Sward, J. A., Nilson, R. S., Katkar, V. V., Stedman, R. C., Kay, D. L., Ifft, J. E., & Zhang, K. M. (2020). Integrating social considerations in multicriteria decision analysis for utility-scale solar photovoltaic siting. Applied Energy.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Kay, D., Nilson, R., & Stedman, R. (2020). Challenges of Large-scale Solar Electric Siting in New York State (No. 89; Research and Policy Brief Series, p. 2). Community and Regional Development Institute, Department of Global Development, Cornell University.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Nilson, R., Kay, D., & Stedman, R. (2020). Challenges of Large-scale Solar Electric Siting in New York State: Part II, The Evolving Permitting Process (No. 91; Research and Policy Brief Series, p. 2). Community and Regional Development Institute, Department of Global Development, Cornell University.
• Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: : Stedman, R., and R. Nilson. 2020. Farming Landscapes, Energy Landscapes, or Both? Using Social Representations to Understand the Impact of Energy Transitions on Rural Sense of Place. Chapter forthcoming for inclusion in Raymond et al. (Eds.) Changing Senses of Place: Navigating Global Challenges.

Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Our work focuses on academics interested in issues related to energy transitions, especially those related to the siting of energy facilities. Local decision makers and natural resource managers who are the on-the-ground decision makers who grapple with the costs and benefits of energy development, and face (for example) zoning challenges. Larger level (i.e., state of New York) decision makers who engage whether decision making can and should be made at the local level, or at the state level. NGOs such as the Nature Conservancy also are key targets/partners in the work. We have engaged these multiple stakeholders at 'in the field' events, especially in W and N New York, and at roundtable gatherings. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided the data for one PhD dissertation (Bugden) and will provide partial data for another (Nilson). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Initial results and logic underlying them have been disseminated largely through presentations to local communities, practitioners, and decision makers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are preparing initial easily digestible reports summarizing both the state of large scale solar installations throughout the state, and issues of process that will be of interest to decision makers (i.e., what sort of topics does the community have input/access). When the results of our 2020 survey are complete (summer 2020), we will make public presentations based on these results, as well as result summary reports for the general public, and targeted recommendations for local and state decision makers.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We analyzed the results of the online experiment conducted in 2018 (see previous year's report). This survey (n=1500) examined the relationship between political partnership, environmentalism and energy attitudes, and governance. These relationships are crucially important for understanding the dynamics around energy siting, and upstate/downstate dynamics. This phase of the work produced one dissertation, and a (see products) and a manuscript submitted. We also moved ahead with putting another survey into the field (will be implemented in 2020), which looks at perceived access to decision making, attitudes toward renewable energy, and landscape change around large scale industrial solar siting in 3 sites in New York: one in the Adirondacks/North Country, one in Western New York< and one downstate in a more urban area.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2020 Citation: Richard C. Stedman and Roberta S. Nilson. Farming Landscapes, Energy Landscapes, or Both? Using Social Representations to Understand the Impact of Energy Transitions on Rural Sense of Place Chapter submitted to Changing Senses of Place in the Face of Global Challenges
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Nilson, Roberta. Understanding Barriers and Opportunities for Solar Energy Siting in New York. presented at the 25th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, June 6, 2019.
• Type: Book Chapters Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Richard C. Stedman Roberta S. Nilson. Farming Landscapes, Energy Landscapes, or Both? Using Social Representations to Understand the Impact of Energy Transitions on Rural Sense of Place.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bugden, D. PhD, Natural Resources. 2019. Social Movements and Mass Partisanship: Convergent Identities, Centrifugal Forces, and the Case of Climate Activism.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Bugden, D. Does Climate Protest Work? Partisanship, Protest, and Sentiment Pools

Progress 11/06/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Academics and natural resource managers interested in energy transitions issues. Stakeholders in NYS's planned commercial scale solar buildout, many of whom (developers, state agency representatives, environmental and farm organizations, local officials, etc.) participated with us in the NYS Renewables on the Ground Roundtable. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Stedman has been appointed to the Ithaca-area Energy Smart Community Advisory Group. The group meets monthly and links academics, community members, utilities, and others The team convened an international group of academics in May 2018 (with partial support from Cornell's ACSF) to generate and move forward the next generation of research and extension ideas in the area of energy impacts/energy transitions. Presentations: Stedman R.C., and D. Bugden. Understanding energy transitions: from smart energy to renewable energy. Paper presented at the International Association of Society and Natural Resources, Snowbird, UT: June, 2018. Travis Grout presented work based on his thesis at the annual American Agricultural Economics Association and Northeastern Agricultural & Resource Economics Association meetings Other significant dissemination activities include: Contributions to the national planning committee for 2019 Joint National Sustainability Summit & National Extension Energy Summit. National audience of energy and sustainability educators will benefit in Spring, 2019. Presentation at Community processes/Cornell research, American Farmland Trust's North Country Farmland Protection Forum: Smart Solar Siting in NYS, Gouverneur Community Center, November 15, 2018. Regional farmers, landowners, policy makers, solar developers, agency staff, environmentalists, etc. Team member presentations atInternational Association of Society and Natural Resources, Snowbird, UT: June, 2018 - Understanding energy transitions: from smart energy to renewable energy; and Escaping the Resource Curse: Comparative Perspectives on Accommodating and Benefitting from Energy Development in Rural Communities. Audience of Researchers and natural resource management professionals. Transitioning to Renewable Energy: Educating to Preempt Polarization about Solar Energy, NACDEP annual conference, Cleveland Ohio, June 11, 2018. Audience of Cooperative Extension Educators Webinar on Working with Cities on Energy and Sustainability: How NY State and the Nature Conservancy worked together on consensus", Municipal Sustainability and Energy Forum, June 5, 2018. Audience of energy industry entrepreneurs and analysts. Panelist at The Academy and Local Policy Makers: A Focus on Controversial Issues, Bridging Science & Policy in the Sustainable Development Era, 2018 Polson Institute Future of Development Symposium, Panel 4: The Policy Making Process, Klarman Hall Cornell, Friday May 11, 2018. Audience of academics and policy makers Renewables on the Ground roundtable panelist, 2018 NY Land Trust Symposium, April 24, 2018. Audience of NYS land trust community Communities and Project Reviews, panel presentation at the Town Gown Conference on Sustainability, Cornell Office of Community Relations, Marriott Hotel, Ithaca NY April 2, 2018. Audience of Ithaca area policy community "Informing Local Decision Making", Research into Policy, panelist presentation and discussion at the Trans-Atlantic Rural Research Network TARRN 2018 annual conference, Cornell University, March 24, 2018.Audience of rural researchers from US and Europe What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Already published: Travis Grout and Jennifer Ifft Energy Production on Farms: What are the Impacts & Which Farms Participate in Energy Leases Research & Policy Brief Series 84 march 2019. We have revitalized a long term relationship with the NYS Assessor's Association, and are working with them on collaborative trainings which should incorporate some material from this research. Presentations at the 2019 Joint National Sustainability Summit & National Extension Energy Summit in Spring, 2019.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The team conducted an online experiment to test a model for the effects of partisanship on environmental activism and energy. This study will serve as a framework for exploring how environmental issues, such as climate change or renewable energy development, become entangled with partisan identities and political conflicts. The experiment is the basis for three separate studies. The first explores how environmental and energy based protest influences support for related causes; the second explores how these protests increase partisanship and social hostility; and the third explores how these protests decrease trust in governance and political processes. The results from this study have not been published or presented publicly. The first presentation of results will occur on April 26. Data (~1500 completed surveys) was collected from October 23 through November 1 of 2018. Interviews were conducted with ~20 actors in the solar energy community, most notably industry representatives seeking to gain siting approval, and some local officials involved in the process As enumerated in other sections, we also have been able to develop good working relations and ways of exchanging information with key audiences in relationm to our Extension goals.

Publications

• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Travis Grout. Are revenues from energy leases reinvested by U.S. farms? Evidence from TOTAL MS Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Travis Grout and Jennifer Ifft. 2018. Approaches to Balancing Solar Expansion and Farmland Preservation: A Comparison across Selected States. Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management Extension Bulletin 2018-04.