The Way the Winds are Blowing These Days: The Rapid Growth of Wind Energy and Legal Hurdles of North Carolina's General Statutes

With interest in renewable energy sources gaining momentum, it is only natural that controversy will arise surrounding the proliferation of wind energy. While this conflict has already manifested itself in the context of federal law, in North Carolina, a state with favorable conditions for wind energy development, the fate of the budding technology remains uncertain amidst statutes which did not contemplate the possibility of widespread wind energy harvesting. North Carolina’s most favorable sites for wind energy development are protected by the Mountain Ridge Protection Act and the Coastal Area Management Act. This Comment explores both Acts to determine if wind energy development in the Tar Heel State will be defeated before it can even begin.