The concept of using renewable energy sources, such as woody biomass, for heat and power generation garners support from the majority of communities in the Pacific Northwest. However, where there are supporters of biomass projects, many developers may also face opposition before permitting can be complete.
In a digital age where information is accessible instantaneously, proponents of the “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) stance are finding that the Internet is an effective vehicle for spreading false or negative information about proposed projects before developers have a chance to present their case as to why their project really is a win-win proposition for communities, said Erin Anderson, attorney for Stoel Rives LLP in Seattle.
“In the age of the Internet, anybody can become an expert in the ‘pseudo science’ of a theory opposing a [biomass] project with a few keystrokes of the computer,” Anderson said. “It takes no more than an hour to set up a website or Web page where a project opponent can add in hyperlinks to lead readers to other stories of other opposition groups in other parts of the country. It’s unfortunate, but it’s happening everywhere.”
At BBI International’s 2011 Pacific Northwest Biomass Conference & Trade Show, Jan. 10-12 in Seattle, Anderson intends to lay out a road map to success that project developers can use to create positive momentum for contested biomass projects, in a panel titled, An Eye on Milestones: Characteristics of Projects That Go the Distance. According to Anderson, a careful stakeholder strategy can often be utilized by the developer to create a positive permitting process from the beginning.
“You have this community populated with people who may not immediately be receptive to your story, so there needs to be strategic outreach into the community to make sure you don’t roll out this good news before you have developed a support web within that community, so they can echo that message back to their own citizens,” Anderson said.
Tools such as collaboration on passage of, or revisions to, local and state legislation addressing both public and developer needs; enhanced trade organization visibility; local economic development agency studies; community office presence; and coalition building among local civic, economic and environmental groups, are all viable methods to ensure a successful project from the beginning.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Anderson said. “You’re opportunity to get people to listen to you is in the early in the stage of development, before opposition hardens up.”
To attend the 2011 Pacific West Biomass Conference & Trade Show, Jan. 10-12 in Seattle, and to learn more about how your biomass project can successfully reach community members positively and achieve permitting, go to www.pacificwest.biomassconference.com.
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