A just transition for coal miners? Community identity and support from local policy actors

The U.S. energy system is currently undergoing significant transition as unconventional drilling technologies have drastically increased the volume of natural gas and oil produced domestically, the cost of renewables has declined, and coal production has plummeted. Scholars and activists have increasingly argued for a just transition policy framework to assist displaced coal miners. In this analysis, we consider support for just transition policies among local policy actors in the Mountain West region, focusing on the role of accountability and community economic identity. Results suggest that policies to assist displaced coal miners enjoy broad support among local policy actors, indicating that comprehensive program to assist communities and workers negatively impacted by the energy transition might be politically possible.