Little Mt. Equinox Wind Forum

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Published July, 2008
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CBI Practitioners: 
Patrick Field
CBI Practitioners: 
Kate Harvey

Facing the possibility of a proposed five-turbine wind farm on Little Equinox Mountain in Manchester, Vermont, the Orton Family Foundation initiated a citizen engagement process to explore citizen’s interests and concerns regarding the proposed wind farm. Over a period of four months, the Consensus Building Institute guided a team through an intense planning, issues exploration, and public outreach process. The process engaged over 100 citizens in discussions about wind energy in their community. It also informed town government officials about the range of opinions and concerns of the community on the proposed Little Equinox Mountain wind farm.

Over the course of four months, CBI worked with a team of representatives from the Orton Family Foundation, the Town of Manchester, VT, and the Village of Manchester to design and implement the citizen engagement process. The Wind Forum, as the process was called, kicked-off with a series of four public meetings, which shared information on topics related to the proposal site planning, ecology, energy/economics and aesthetics. CBI then facilitated a priority-setting meeting which identified specific issues for further public discussion. The processes culminated in a day-long facilitated Wind Summit, which include presentations from a panel of experts, state, and local officials; facilitated group conversations about the proposed wind farm, visualization exercises using CommunityViz, a dynamic mapping landscape visualization technology; and live-time polling using keypads. Over 90 citizens participated in the Wind Summit. CBI also conducted a final process evaluation for the Orton Family Foundation.

The Wind Forum process tested new approaches and tools to support informed, equitable, and collaborative decision-making on an up-and-coming energy siting issue. Vermont, like other states, is considering new ways to support renewable energy production, an often contentious issue that necessitates balancing protection of scenic and natural resources, economics, and market demands. The Wind Forum offers new approaches and tools that may be useful for other communities grappling with the many challenging issues raised by wind power proposals.

 

For more information about this case, please contact Managing Director Pat Field.