Transcript Public Perceptions and Acceptance of Biomass

Community Decisions and Public Perceptions
about Using Wood for Energy
Martha C. Monroe, Annie Oxarart, and Jessica Tomasello
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
What’s Coming
• Why bother
• Overview of our study
• How the public might perceive woody
biomass for energy
• What this means for outreach efforts
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Why Bother?
• Public support can keep projects alive
• Lack of public support can destroy projects
• Public participation can improve project
design
• Public agencies need public support
• But it requires education and outreach
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
What We Heard
• Provide some questions and snippets of
how people think about using wood
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Public Perceptions Inform
Outreach Materials
• Alachua County is discussing new wood to
energy facility
• Interviewed people to understand
concerns
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Our Survey
1517 residents of single-family and mobile homes in
Alachua County, FL in fall 2006, 19.6% response rate
22 questions:
(1) Awareness and knowledge
(2) General impressions
(3) Misconceptions
(4) Trust
(5) Community participation
(6) Demographic questions
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
A Hypothetical Town Meeting
with Green Electric Utility
Company
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Energy Illiteracy
• 12% of Americans can pass a basic
energy quiz
• Our respondents: 54% “not at all
knowledgeable” about using wood for
energy
• 5% “very knowledgeable”
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Preferred Energy Source
Energy
Resource
Somewhat or
strongly favor
Somewhat or
strongly oppose
Don’t
know
Solar
93%
5%
2%
Wind
91%
9%
--
Natural gas
83%
11%
6%
Landfill gas
64%
18%
18%
Forest waste
59%
29%
12%
Nuclear
31%
63%
6%
Coal
24%
69%
7%
Farhar 1999, U.S. Department of Energy
Preference for Renewable Energy
Renewable
Resource
Percent “very
favorable”
Percent choosing in
top 3 preferred
energy choices
Solar
69
58
Wind
61
69
Biomass
32
26
Farhar 1999, U.S. Department of Energy
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Climate Change
How does wood compare to fossil fuels in terms of
climate change?
Coal
Natural Gas
Wood is Better
18.8%
11.6%
About the same
30.7%
24.2%
Wood is Worse
Don’t know
6.5%
45.8%
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
23.1%
43.9%
Attitudes toward using wood
Concerns
Loss of local forests
4.10
Increased air pollution
3.95
Higher cost of electricity
Benefits
4.23
3.81
Use wood that would go to
waste
Maintain local forests
Increased traffic for wood
delivery
Increased competition for wood
3.59
Renewable energy source
4.11
3.99
Increased noise from plant
operations
3.25
Not contributing to global
climate change
Reduce dependence on
foreign energy
Keep dollars in the
community
Addition of entry-level jobs
Provide better markets for
wood
2.99
1 = not at all important;
5 = extremely important
3.37
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
4.20
3.95
3.46
3.06
More evidence
• If we are going to use wood for energy, it is most
important that we manage the forest sustainably
for wildlife, water quality, and wood production
(3.71).
• As long as waste wood is being burned, we
should collect it and use the energy (3.27).
1=strongly disagree
4= strongly agree
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Sources of Wood
• 71% support using waste wood
• 61% support using wood grown for energy
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Questions Remain
•
•
•
•
What species would be grown?
How would forests be managed?
How much more frequently will harvests occur?
Can the ecosystem sustain the increased
pressure on forests?
• Bioenergy could bring changes to Southern
forests and forest management as significant as
pine plantations were to natural forests
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Public Trust
Sources of information
about woody biomass
that survey respondents
consider most reliable
are:
Least reliable sources:
• local businesses
• industry
(both scoring 1.6)
• local foresters (2.2)
• environmental groups (2.2)
• extension agents (2.1)
3-point scale where 1 is not at
all reliable and 3 is very reliable
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Public Trust
• Barriers to Trust
– Uncertainty
– Exclusion
• Building Trust
– Education
– Communication
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Public Involvement
• 53% believe that the community would be influential in a
proposed project.
• 54% are interested in participating in the decisionmaking process.
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Factors in outreach
1) local forests and air quality are
important
2) waste wood is okay
3) solar and wind are best
4) burning wood increases CO2,
5) healthy forests have no management,
6) foresters, environmental groups, and
extension agents are reliable sources
of information.
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007
Questions?
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007