West Virginia and its Path Towards a Greener Future
West Virginia, historically a leading coal producer, has a great potential when it comes to renewable energy. However, the path towards a greener future is not easy. Our analysis below goes through the obstacles and opportunities the state faces in relation to energy transition.
Clean energy and the quest for a more sustainable future is already informing the decisions of major new business prospects and political actions, as it can be seen in our analysis of the climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. In this context, West Virginia stands out as one of the states in which a green future with clean and renewable energy can become a reality sooner than expected.
A new report named West Virginia’s Energy Future shows that the switch to renewable energy would be very profitable to the state, as it would not only be cost-effective but it could also create thousands of jobs and save consumers money. The report, prepared by the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at the West Virginia University College of Law, indicates that, even though there are already some pre existing projects, the state can increase renewable energy production over the next 15 years, producing more than 70% of the state’s electricity from wind and solar by 2035. This huge potential shows how politics and business in the state will be focused on this issue in the near future. By increasing its supply of clean power, West Virginia will be able to compete with surrounding states that are already positioning themselves in a more aligned fashion to climate transition.
Even though the future might seem bright and green, the current reality in West Virginia is more complicated. Today, renewable energy is just at an incipient stage there, accounting for around 6 percent of the state’s electricity in 2020. Coal plants, in their turn, represent roughly 90 percent. Given this scenario, it becomes easier to understand the resistance of many citizens in that state in relation to the Inflation Reduction Act. To many people, there were worries about a fast shift to clean energy and whether all coal industry workers would find well-paying jobs.
These preoccupations were reflected in Senator Manchin’s resistance to support the climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. In his discourses, the Senator recognized the country’s progressive and inevitable acceptance of clean energy technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles. However, he presented continued opposition to approving climate measures, partially because of a fear of accelerating the transition at his home state’s expense, believing that many people would lose their jobs with a quick transition. Meanwhile, climate activists blamed him for holding back the biggest climate bill in U.S. history at a time when extreme drought, record-breaking heat and uncontrollable wildfires in many parts of the country.
Despite this mismatch of opinions, the Inflation Reduction Act was passed by the Congress and a cleaner and greener future is on the way. It is expected that operating coal-fired power plants in the United States, including those in West Virginia, will soon be more expensive than to replace with renewable energy. Moreover, the “West Virginia’s Energy Future” report explains how investing in renewable energy would create thousands of construction jobs in West Virginia and have a net positive employment impact through 2030 equal to 1,155 full-time jobs. Besides that, it recognizes the decreasing number of coal jobs over the years and the potential to transition coal workers to renewable energy. The report also indicates that this journey to renewable energy and energy efficiency should be complemented with a federal reinvestment in miners and coal communities.
Even though the state faces a complex reality and a conflict of positions, West Virginia might represent a successful example of the benefits of transition to renewable energy in the U.S. This case also highlights the importance of federal and state cooperation on the process towards energy transition, showing that even though many obstacles will be faced, a green future can be achieved.
References:
https://bassiounigroup.com/blog/inflation-reduction-act-and-its-climate-provision
https://www.theintelligencer.net/opinion/editorials/2022/07/w-va-s-clean-energy-future/
https://energy.law.wvu.edu/west-virginias-energy-future
https://electrek.co/2021/01/26/coal-dependent-west-virginia-200-million-wind-farm/
https://windexchange.energy.gov/states/wv
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