ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews several case studies of the land use connection in conventional and alternative energy resource development. If land use turns out to be a fundamental factor, it should be possible to suggest land use planning and management techniques leading to a better understanding and reduced environmental impact of energy development. Like geothermal energy, wind energy is site specific and it is only feasible to develop it for electricity where it is most concentrated. Land use conflicts have been particularly noticeable in the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Energy Area because of the open space and resort land use which competes with the deployment and operation of the wind farms. Many of the environmental concerns about nuclear power are little changed when viewed from the perspective of land use. Of coal and oil, coal has the longer and more extensive ties to environmental impact, but even the latecomer oil is attracting substantial criticism for its environmental threat.
