Working within regulatory and legislative frameworks
As a voice for conservation, land trusts can help decision-makers understand and embed conservation priorities into energy siting policies and practices.
As the clean energy transition continues across the United States, land conservation organizations are increasingly drawn into policy conversations about where and how renewable energy infrastructure should be built.
Land trusts that engage at the right times, with the right stakeholders, within their respective state-level policy frameworks can more effectively protect the land while advancing climate-smart renewable energy.
What land trusts bring to the table
Land trusts can share important skills and perspectives with decision-makers:
Landscape-level stewardship perspective
On-the-ground knowledge of wildlife corridors, sensitive ecosystems, and conserved parcels
Constructive relationships with community members, municipal administrators, and lawmakers
Ability to evaluate and verify potential positive and negative environmental impacts of site location, development plan details, and ongoing management practices
Mapping expertise
Engaging now, for the future
Land trusts can take steps to impact a specific project and to impact multiple projects over time.
Project-specific engagement: Steps could include attending public hearings and zoning board meetings, reviewing site plans and submitting public comments related to a specific project.
Big-picture engagement: Steps could include proactively advocating robust state policies and participating in local ordinance development and regional planning initiatives. Land trusts can also consider partnering with state and local authorities to create site conservation performance review standards or geospatial decision support tools. (Check out existing tools and resources to use as-is or to inspire new ideas.)
The specific ways in which land trusts can engage, whether to influence project-specific or big-picture impacts, are governed by state-level policy structures. While every state is different — and constantly evolving — these structures typically fall into two basic frameworks: legislative and regulatory.
Comparing regulatory and legislative frameworks
Minnesota and Virginia, for example, are both advancing large-scale renewable energy goals, but their respective policy frameworks offer different roles for land trusts. Minnesota’s large-scale renewable project siting has been shaped primarily through a regulatory framework led by the Public Utilities Commission and state agencies. In Virginia, the state’s clean energy future has been defined mainly by legislative mandates like the Virginia Clean Economy Act of 2020.
By understanding these general frameworks, land trusts can start developing tailored strategies for policy advocacy. Ultimately, land trusts can position themselves as powerful allies and problem-solvers as states build their energy futures.
The following case study, which is based on 2025 data, illustrates two state policy frameworks—legislative and regulatory—and the distinct pathways land trusts must follow to engage within each. Keep reading or download the case study below.