Transition obstructionism and ‘embodied energy injustice
’ A Wyoming case study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13041374 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Matthew S Henry (0000-0002-7352-2112, University of Wyoming, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 1-3 |
| Pages | 337-354 |
| Publication date | 2024-04-29 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Contemporary Social Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2158-2041 • E-ISSN: 2158-205X |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/21582041.2024.2333274 |
| OpenAlex | W4396220347 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 19 |
Wyoming is the epicentre of the coal transition in the United States. The coal industry is critical to the state’s economy, both in terms of jobs and a state revenue model dependent on federal coal leasing payments, mineral royalties, and mining severance taxes. However, due to economic, regulatory, and political pressures, the U.S. is currently on track to retire half of its coal-fired electricity generation capacity by 2026. Accordingly, Wyoming faces an uncertain future. Despite the difficult path ahead, many Wyoming policymakers, industry officials, and residents express hostility toward the idea of transition. This often manifests in opposition to renewable energy through policies that double down on investments in fossil fuel energy, despite the increased availability of federal resources and programmes to ease the burden of change. I refer to this phenomenon as transition obstructionism. While transition obstructionism is detrimental to residents across the state, harm is also distributed downstream in the fossil fuel lifecycle, particularly in historically marginalised communities. This article reviews recent efforts by state lawmakers and institutions to actively disincentivize transition and prolong the fossil fuel economy in Wyoming. It then considers how transition obstructionism contributes to ‘embodied energy injustices’ both within and beyond Wyoming
Business · Economic policy · Economics · Economy · Energy transition · Harm · Market economy · Natural resource economics · Opposition (politics · Political science · Politics · Resource curse · Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics · Environmental Justice and Health Disparities · Law · Mining and Resource Management
Extractive Fictions and Postextraction Futurisms
Just transition
Just transitions
The role of justice in developing critical minerals
Fossil fuel racism in the United States
Race and the politics of energy transitions
Embodied energy injustices
Emergent landscapes of renewable energy storage
A just transition for whom? Politics, contestation, and social identity in the disruption of coal in the Powder River Basin
Of embodied emissions and inequality
The Security–Sustainability Nexus
Coal Waste, Socioeconomic Change, and Environmental Inequality in Appalachia
Particulate Matters
Decolonizing energy
How long will it take? Conceptualizing the temporal dynamics of energy transitions
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2025 (2) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |