Backyard voices: How sense of place shapes views of large-scale energy transmission infrastructure

While scholars have assessed the drivers of public views of electricity generation infrastructure, attention to transmission infrastructure has been limited. Moreover, economic benefits are often wielded to garner public support in siting debates, but questions remain about what shapes local perceptions of economic impacts. We examine how the symbolic content and geographic scale of place sentiments shape residents' interpretations and evaluations of proposed transmission infrastructure projects as a threat or an opportunity. We draw from in-depth interviews with public officials, residents, landowners, and stakeholders in communities along the routes of two proposed energy transmission projects in the American Midwest. Symbolic meanings, including but not limited to those reflecting economic identities, inform interpretation of project impacts and evaluations of the projects as threats or opportunities. Place meanings at the local, state, and national scales also help define the values through which respondents evaluate the projects.