Regional Rural Development and Energy Reform
The Case of Electric Deregulation in Montana and Alberta
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12164239 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rebecca T Richards (University of Montana, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 647-658 |
| Publication date | 2007-06-17 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Society & Natural Resources (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0894-1920 • E-ISSN: 1521-0723 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/08941920701385092 |
| OpenAlex | W2089615376 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 16 |
Neo-liberal energy reform has resulted in a restructuring of the electricity industry and increased the globalization of energy markets and firms. To date, policy analysts have focused primarily on the national impacts of energy reform. The impact of energy reform on international, transborder regions, especially rural regions, generally has not been addressed. Here, a case study of electric deregulation policy in the Northern Rocky Mountain region of the United States and Canada demonstrates that energy policy reform has produced changes in electricity supplies to rural consumers that challenge regional industry and community sustainability. As a result of electric deregulation impacts, both public and private utilities in the region are in the process of reinstitutionalization following the transformation of energy markets, and the capacity to maximize the region's energy resources for local versus national development has weakened. Keywords: Canadaelectric deregulationelectric restructuringenergy policyUnited States Support for this research was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, CSREES NRICGP grant 00-35402-9261; the Canadian Embassy, Faculty Research Grant Program, Washington, DC; the Western Rural Development Center, Logan, UT; and the University of Montana, University Grant Program. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Association for Canadian Studies in the U.S. biennial meeting in Portland, OR, in November 2003. Assistance from Steve Daniels of Utah State University, Ellen Goddard and Kyla Rice of the University of Alberta, and the director, officers, and members of Prairie Power Ltd. and the Western Montana Generating and Transmission Cooperative are gratefully acknowledged. The helpful comments of four anonymous reviewers are appreciated. Notes Since the 2006 expiration date passed, the RRO is currently in a transition period so that by 2010, it will consist of 1-month forward hedges that vary by the month. The claim that regional residents benefited from cheap electricity emphasizes the perspective of regional historians who also acknowledge the costs of federal, state, and provincial subsidies in developing the region's electricity supply infrastructure (see Brigham Citation1998; Busch Citation1976; Cannon Citation2000)
Business · Deregulation · Economic growth · Economics · Economy · Electric power industry · Electricity · Energy policy · Market economy · Political science · Renewable energy · Restructuring · Electric Power System Optimization · Engineering · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Labor Movements and Unions · Public Administration
| Citations per year | 0.06 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2010 - 2010 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |