On October 11, 2022, West Virginia University College of Law professor James Van Nostrand was interviewed on the Energy Policy Now Podcast. Professor Van Nostrand was interviewed by host Andy Stone about the coal industry in West Virginia and his recently published book Coal Trap: How West Virginia Was Left Behind in the Clean Energy Revolution.
Energy Policy Now is a podcast affiliated with the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.
About Professor Van Nostrand's book:
Between 2009 and 2019, West Virginian politicians aligned themselves with the interests of the coal industry to the substantial detriment of the citizens and economy of the state. Despite the undeniable low-carbon transformation that was occurring in the energy industry in the US during this period, state political leaders doubled down on coal. Rather than provide the leadership necessary to manage the transition of the state's economic drivers away from fossil fuels, they largely blamed the demise of the coal industry on the federal government. At every turn, the interests of the coal industry were placed above the economic and environmental health of West Virginians. James Van Nostrand tells the story of why West Virginia now faces overwhelming obstacles to competing in the economic marketplace of the twenty-first century. The book serves as a warning of how a fair energy transition can be derailed by political failure.
Find more of Professor Van Nostrand's scholarship on his SelectedWorks scholarship profile.