A Case Study on Sustainable Energy Transitions in Virginia Appalachia

• In Event: Power, Drivers, and Narratives in Sustainable Energy Transitions - I

Abstract

With climate change pressing and the coal industry in decline, tensions in Virginia around the transition from fossil fuel use to renewable forms of energy are rising. In this case study we focus on these tensions and competing narratives particularly between rural communities that depend on the coal industry and policymakers and stakeholders advocating renewable energy. Coal mining in Virginia is primarily located in the southwestern region of the state. This region is part of the Appalachian Mountain chain, which has been a main source of coal in the United States. Rural communities in this region have largely depended on the coal mining industry to sustain their economy for generations. Yet, recently the Virginia State Government has proposed to transition to multiple forms of renewable energy, including plans for making a complete transition in the next fifteen years. It has been noted in these policies that people in rural Appalachian communities will need assistance in finding work. However, these plans fail to address how such assistance will be provided. This disconnect between big ideas and real action, as well as the conflict between coal mining communities and renewable energy policies, has contributed to the stand-still regarding sustainable energy transitions in Virginia.

As undergraduate students in an interdisciplinary applied science program participating in a Science, Technology, and Society lab with STS faculty, in this work-in-progress we highlight the interplay of social and technical dimensions in these competing narratives, while attending to power dynamics and questions about voice and representation in Virginia.

Authors

• Sydney Elizabeth VanNostrand, James Madison University

• Meghan Anne Jennings, James Madison University