The Power of Engagement: Building Trust and Support for Clean Energy Projects

The report outlines strategies for clean energy developers to mitigate local resistance by prioritizing early, transparent, and inclusive community engagement. Using five case studies across various technologies, it emphasizes the importance of flexible siting, aligning projects with local economic goals, and establishing equitable community benefit programs. It also recommends policy reforms at the state level to streamline permitting and integrate clean energy into broader land-use planning.

• Local opposition to clean energy projects often stems from concerns regarding land use, environmental impacts, transparency, and trust rather than an opposition to clean energy technology itself.
• Effective initial outreach requires developers to research unique local contexts and engage landowners and community leaders before broader public outreach, ensuring engagement occurs early enough to adjust project design based on feedback.
• Developers can build support by aligning projects with long-term community goals, such as economic diversification, and by maintaining flexibility in siting to incorporate local knowledge and preferences.
• Tribal engagement should be proactive and conducted individually with Tribes, regardless of whether the project is on Tribal land or if formal regulatory requirements exist, specifically involving cultural specialists and historic preservation offices.
• Community benefit programs, including 'good neighbor agreements' for non-hosting adjacent landowners and local workforce training partnerships, help demonstrate long-term commitment and ensure equitable distribution of project advantages.
• Transparency and a consistent local presence are critical to preventing distrust; the failure to engage early and transparently can lead to project withdrawal, as seen in the Raquette Lake battery storage case.
• State-level policy can improve outcomes by mandating engagement plans, providing intervenor funding, and integrating clean energy into land-use planning to reduce conflicts between competing interests.

APA

Manitius, N., Harrington, A., & Ackerly, A. (2025). The Power of Engagement: Building Trust and Support for Clean Energy Projects. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CATF-Power-of-Engagement-Report.pdf

Chicago

Manitius, Natalie, Annika Harrington, and Asa Ackerly. The Power of Engagement: Building Trust and Support for Clean Energy Projects. Clean Air Task Force, 2025. https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CATF-Power-of-Engagement-Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Manitius |first1=Natalie |last2=Harrington |first2=Annika |last3=Ackerly |first3=Asa |title=The Power of Engagement: Building Trust and Support for Clean Energy Projects |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=August 2025 |url=https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CATF-Power-of-Engagement-Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{manitius2025power, author = {Manitius, Natalie and Harrington, Annika and Ackerly, Asa}, title = {{The Power of Engagement: Building Trust and Support for Clean Energy Projects}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CATF-Power-of-Engagement-Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }