Cole, Scott
(2011).
Wind power compensation is not for the birds : an opinion from an environmental economist.
Restoration ecology. 19
:2
, 147-153
[Journal article]
(In Press)
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PDF
3MB |
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2010.00771.x
Abstract
This article advocates for better implementation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) framework as applied to wind power development, with a particular focus on improving compensatory restoration scaling. If properly enforced, the environmental impacts hierarchy "avoid - minimize - compensate" provides the regulated community with incentives to prevent wildlife and habitat impacts in sensitive areas and, if necessary, compensate for residual impacts through restoration or conservation projects. Given the increase in legislation requiring resource-based environmental compensation, methods for scaling an appropriate quantity and quality of resources is of increasing relevance. I argue that Equivalency Analysis (EA) represents a transparent and quantitative approach for scaling compensation in the case of wind power development. Herein, I identify the economic underpinnings of environmental compensation legislation and identify weaknesses in current scaling approaches within wind power development. I demonstrate how the recently-completed REMEDE Toolkit, which provides guidance on EA, can inform an improved scaling approach and summarize a case study involving raptor collisions with turbines that illustrates the EA approach. Finally, I stress the need for further contributions from the field of restoration ecology. The success of ex ante compensation in internalizing the environmental costs of wind development depends on the effective implementation of the environmental impacts hierarchy, which must effectively encourage avoidance and minimization over environmental restoration and repair.
Authors/Creators: | Cole, Scott | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Title: | Wind power compensation is not for the birds : an opinion from an environmental economist | ||||
Series/Journal: | Restoration ecology (1061-2971) | ||||
Year of publishing : | March 2011 | ||||
Volume: | 19 | ||||
Number: | 2 | ||||
Page range: | 147-153 | ||||
Publisher: | Wiley-Blackwell | ||||
ISSN: | 1061-2971 | ||||
Language: | English | ||||
Publication Type: | Journal article | ||||
Refereed: | Yes | ||||
Article category: | Scientific peer reviewed | ||||
Version: | Accepted version | ||||
Full Text Status: | Public | ||||
Subjects: | Obsolete subject words > FORESTRY, AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES and LANDSCAPE PLANNING > Area economics | ||||
Keywords: | compensatory mitigation, compensatory restoration, Equivalency Analysis (EA), restoration scaling, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), no net loss | ||||
URN:NBN: | urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-2-505 | ||||
Permanent URL: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-2-505 | ||||
Additional ID: |
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ID Code: | 5520 | ||||
Department: | (S) > Dept. of Forest Economics | ||||
Deposited By: | scott cole | ||||
Deposited On: | 28 Feb 2011 00:00 | ||||
Metadata Last Modified: | 02 Dec 2014 10:41 |
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