Effects of Wind Energy Facilities on Property Values in the United States

Executive Branch Activity

Climate Change

Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, Heather Zichal, has announced she will leave the White House in the next few weeks. Ms. Zichal had been responsible for coordinating the administration’s energy and climate policy from within the U.S. Domestic Policy Council.

Legislative Activity

Energy Efficiency

Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are reportedly interested in the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (S. 1392) being considered for inclusion in the Continuing Resolution (CR) that is currently being debated in Congress. The bill, sponsored by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH), would authorize $350 million for energy conservation measures.

This Week’s Hearings:

Wednesday, October 16: The House Natural Resources Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is scheduled to hold a joint hearing titled “The National Park Service’s Implementation of the Government Shutdown.”

Regulatory Activity

Effects of Wind Energy Facilities on Property Values in the United States

On Wednesday, October 16, the U.S. Department of Energy intends to hold a live webinar regarding the effects of wind energy facilities on surrounding property values in the United States. The webinar will feature Ben Hoen, the principal research associate in the Electricity Markets and Policy Group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Mr. Hoen is also an author of the recent August report: “A Spatial Hedonic Analysis of the Effects of Wind Energy Facilities on Surrounding Property Values in the United States.”