Printable Version

Wind Siting Policies and Regulations

Find information about federal, state, and local wind siting policy guidelines and regulatory requirements addressing such issues as potential obstruction of airspace, radar interference, and the protection of wildlife resources. Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

Federal Policies on Wind Siting

Federal policy recommendations play an important role in ensuring responsible wind energy development on public, private, and tribal lands, airspace, and offshore. This section contains federal agency policy guidance documents on the siting of wind energy projects.

• Bureau of Land Management Wind Development Policy

  Provides guidance on implementing the Record of Decision for the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on Wind Energy Development and guidance on processing right-of-way applications for wind energy projects on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

• Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security Joint Program Office Policy Letters

  Three DOD/DHS policy statements have been issued related to siting of wind turbines.

  • Department of Defense Policy on Proposed Wind Farm Locations (PDF 448 KB), January 29, 2007
  • Intent of March 21, 2006 Memorandum (PDF 686 KB), July 10, 2006

  • Interim Policy on Proposed Windmill Farm Locations (PDF 480 KB), March 21, 2006

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Wind Energy Development

  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established a Wind Turbine Siting Working Group in 2002 to develop a set of comprehensive national guidelines for siting and constructing wind energy facilities. The purpose of the guidelines is to help protect wildlife resources, streamline the site selection and design process, and to assist in avoiding post-construction environmental concerns.

• U.S. Forest Service

  The U.S. Forest Service proposes to amend its internal agency directives for special use authorizations and wildlife monitoring. The proposed amendments would provide direction and guidance specific to wind energy development on National Forest System lands. The Federal Register Notice (PDF 68 KB) summarizes the changes and the U.S. Forest Service Web site provides a list of referenced documents.

• National Telecommunications and Information Administration

  The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is responsible for managing the federal spectrum and is involved in resolving technical telecommunications issues for the federal government and private sector. This information will aid in siting wind turbines, so they do not cause interference in radio, microwave, radar, and other frequencies, disrupting critical lines of communication.

  • Department of Energy's Spectrum Management Program
  • Letter Describing How the NTIA Works with the Wind Industry (PDF 486 KB)
  • NTIA Sample Letter to Wind Energy Developers (PDF 525 KB)

Federal Regulations on Wind Siting

Federal regulatory guidelines play an important role in overseeing and expediting the responsible siting of wind energy installations by ensuring compliance with federal laws and protecting public trust resources. This section includes information on federal regulatory requirements directly pertaining to wind siting.

• Federal Aviation Administration Obstruction Evaluation/Airport Airspace Analysis

  The prime objectives of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are to promote air safety and the efficient use of the navigable airspace. If you are planning to sponsor any construction or alterations which may affect navigable airspace, you must file a Notice of Proposed Construction or Alteration with the FAA.

State and Local Policies and Regulations on Wind Siting

Learn about state and local wind energy policies and regulations.

• Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency

  The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Each state has resources for various rules, regulations, and policies.

• Wind Energy Guide for County Commissioners (PDF 1.2 MB)

  Provide county commissioners, planners, and other local county government officials with a practical overview of information required to successfully implement commercial wind energy projects in their county. The guidebook provides readers with information on the following 13 topics: Brief Wind Energy Overview; Environmental Benefits; Wind Energy Myths and Facts; Economic Development Benefits; Wind Economics; The Development Process; Public Outreach; Siting Issues; Property Tax Incentives; Power System Impacts; Permitting, Zoning, and Siting Processes; Case Studies; and Further Information. For each of the topics listed, the guidebook provides an introduction that identifies the topic, why local government should care, a topic snapshot, how the topic will arise, and a list of resources that define and assess the topic.