Public participation in the planning of coal-fired electric power development in the Southwest: a review and analysis Item Type Thesis-Reproduction (electronic); text Authors Kimball, Dan Belknap. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 25/09/2021 23:12:58 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/191596 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE PLANNING OF COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTHWEST: A REVIEW AND ANALYSIS by Dan Belknap Kimball A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF HYDROLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE WITH A MAJOR IN WATER RESOURCES ADMINISTRATION In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 97 4 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of re- quirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judg- ment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholar- ship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. o SIGNED: KWdak APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: 47. Aw..71 97Y RUSSELL L. GUM Date Associate Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Research described in this thesis was conducted as a year-long project in the Civil Decision Quantification Program in the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources at The University of Arizona. The Civil Decision Quantification Program is funded by the Ford Foundation. The author wishes to express his sincere appreciation to Pro- fessors Russell L. Gum and Theodore G. Roefs, Department of Hydrology and Water Resources at The University of Arizona, for their professional guidance and invaluable assistance throughout the study. Special thanks are also extended to Professor Hasan K. Qashu, Department of Hydrology and Water Resources at The University of Arizona, who served on the author's graduate committee and whose comments on the study and thesis were very helpful. Finally, the author wishes to express his gratitude to his wife, Joey, who typed many drafts of this thesis and provided moral support throughout the researching and writing of this work. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS vii ABSTRACT viii 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Objectives 3 Description of Thesis 4 2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN PLANNING: AN OVERVIEW 5 Legislative and Administrative Requirements for Public Participation 6 Reasons for Public Participation in Planning 8 Securing Public Participation in Planning 10 Public Participation in the Planning Process 13 Summary and Conclusions 19 Need for Public Participation in Electric Power Development Planning 20 3. COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTHWEST . 24 Physical Development 27 The Controversy 32 4. PLANNING FOR COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTHWEST 36 Power Company Planning Procedures 36 Role of the Federal Government 4o State Involvement 43 5. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE PLANNING OF COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTHWEST 50 Information Orientation 50 Southwest Energy Study 52 Environmental Impact Statements 53 Utility Company Reports and Brochures 55 Iv TABLE OF CONTENTS--Continued Page C.P.E.A.C. Newsletter 57 Private Reports and General Media 58 Public Information Meetings 59 Review Orientation 60 Public Hearings 60 Comments and Surveys 62 Interaction Orientation 63 6. FRAMEWORK AND RESULTS OF ANALYSIS 66 Evaluative Criteria 66 Evaluation Procedure 67 Results of Analysis 68 Opportunity for Public Participation 69 Awareness of Public Involvement Activities 73 Availability of Adequate Information 75 7. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 81 APPENDIX A: EVALUATION PROCEDURE SAMPLES 91 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 94 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Public Participation Mechanisms by Primary Functional Orientation 11+ 2. Public Involvement Functional Orientations in a Hypothesized Planning Process 15 3. General Power Plant Specifications: Plants in Operation . 28 4 • General Power Plant Specifications: Plants under Construction 29 5. General Power Plant Specifications: Plants in Planning Phases 31 6. Comparison of Certification and Hearing Requirements of State Public Service Commissions: 1968 and 1972. 45 7. Public Participation Activities in Southwestern Coal- Fired Electric Power Development by Functional Orientation 51 8. Environmental Impact Statements Relating to Coal- Fired Generating Stations and Related Facilities in the Southwest 56 vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Operational Objectives of Public Participation Activities in Planning 11 2. Location of Coal-Fired Power Plants in the Southwest • • • • 25 vii ABSTRACT Public participation activities have recently become an integral component of natural resource planning efforts. A definite need exists to evaluate the adequacy in a procedural sense of such activities on a case by case basis. This study evaluates public participation in the planning of coal-fired electric power development in the Southwest. An overview of public participation in planning is given, the physical and social aspects of the development are discussed, and the regulatory and institutional framework surrounding power development planning are defined. Evaluative criteria for adequate public partici- pation programs are also specified. An evaluation procedure consisting of questionnaires, interviews, and a classification and review of the public participation activities undertaken is utilized. Results are discussed in terms of the opportunities for public participation; public awareness of such opportunities; and the availa- bility, usability, and adequacy of information. Recommendations are made regarding future public participation in power development planning and include the need for utilizing more activities which stress the di- rect interaction of conflicting parties, involving the public earlier in the power development planning process, increasing public awareness of participatory activities, and providing more available and adequate information in a more usable form. viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION In recent years public participation has become a much discussed aspect of planning, particularly natural resources planning. Public participation in this sense represents more than the traditional citizen involvement mechanisms of voting and letter writing or the relationship of planning bodies with narrowly defined clientele and interest groups. Public participation in planning today implies the involvement of members of the public in hearings, opinion surveys, information meetings, work- shops, written reviews of reports, citizen advisory boards, and other participation measures. Public involvement in such activities is thought to improve the responsiveness of plans to public needs, insure credibil- ity in the planning body, increase the probability of implementing plans, provide relevant information to the public, and facilitate the resolu- tion of conflicts among segments of society. Although some fairly successful beginnings have been made in achieving acceptable public participation in planning (Warner, 1971), many problems remain, and systematic research on various aspects of the "participation" process is needed. A specific area which needs further study, on a case by case basis, is the adequacy of public participation programs actually undertaken in the planning of natural resource develop- ment. 1 2 In response to such a need this study reviews and analyzes, in terms of defined criteria, the public participation activities utilized in the planning of a major electric power plant complex in the semiarid region of the Southwestern United States. This region, which includes Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, is commonly referred to as the "Four Corners" area and is the site of a number of large-scale, coal-fired power plants which are on-line, are being constructed or have been planned. The controversial issues, environmental, social, legal, and institutional which have surrounded the planning and development of this power plant complex are representative of the complex energy issues which confront the United States today. The need for actively adressing these issues in the planning of power plants and transmission lines has become paramount. The Western Systems Coordinating Council (1971, p. 3) states: Society today depends on high energy use, and it values the con- venience, safety and reliability of electric energy. There is increasing evidence that society also values healthful and pleasing surroundings and supports the ethic of leaving a good environment for succeeding generations. Broadly prevailing public attitudes and social values, therefore, must be fully and fairly factored into the development and expansion of elec- tric generation and transmission