Wind Powering America - Outreach in Priority States (Poster)

WPA works with 33 State Wind Working Groups to educate stakeholders on wind energy topics and to achieve the basics needed for effective wind development in a state. WPA has accelerated outreach and communication efforts with 13 priority states: Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, Maryland, Massachussetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, Utah, and Virginia. These states havethe potential to contribute substantially to the national portfolio of wind energy but do not yet have large amounts of wind energy applications on the ground. This is often due to barriers in in-state knowledge and understanding of wind energy issues and potential that impact the policy environment and the market environment. There are common regional issues among the states, and importantlearning opportunities can be gained by cross-training and sharing experiences. The Regional Wind Energy Institutes (RWEIs) are train-the-trainer organizations that work to develop a cadre of in-state outreach specialists who reach out to audiences of decisionmakers (e.g., the ag community, state and local officials, utilities, regulatory bodies) to build understanding, create public acceptance,take advantage of regional synergies, and eventually to impact polices and the market environment for effective wind implementation.