West Virginia’s coal industry has out-sized influence in the state’s politics, and in Washington. But the industry’s power has come at a cost to West Virginians.

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The state of West Virginia has made headlines over the past year on the high profile of its senior senator, Joe Manchin, who has been the swing vote in the Senate on major energy legislation. Most dramatically, Manchin’s last-minute deal with Senate Democratic leadership in July allowed for the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act that provides billions of dollars in tax incentives for wind and solar power. Yet in negotiations Manchin blocked provisions that are central President Biden’s clean energy and climate agenda, while gaining concessions to the fossil fuel industry that holds so much political sway in his home state.  

James Van Nostrand, author of Coal Trap: How West Virginia Was Left Behind in the Clean Energy Revolution, examines how the coal industry succeeded in shaping West Virginia politics and, by extension, came to influence national energy policy.  Van Nostrand, a professor of law at West Virginia University, also examines how coal’s political influence has left West Virginia ill prepared to benefit economically from clean energy as the market for coal declines.

James Van Nostrand is Director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at West Virginia University College of Law.

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Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu

West Virginia’s coal industry has out-sized influence in the state’s politics, and in Washington. But the industry’s power has come at a cost to West Virginians.
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The state of West Virginia has made headlines over the past year on the high profile of its senior senator, Joe Manchin, who has been the swing vote in the Senate on major energy legislation. Most dramatically, Manchin’s last-minute deal with Senate Democratic leadership in July allowed for the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act that provides billions of dollars in tax incentives for wind and solar power. Yet in negotiations Manchin blocked provisions that are central President Biden’s clean energy and climate agenda, while gaining concessions to the fossil fuel industry that holds so much political sway in his home state.  
James Van Nostrand, author of Coal Trap: How West Virginia Was Left Behind in the Clean Energy Revolution, examines how the coal industry succeeded in shaping West Virginia politics and, by extension, came to influence national energy policy.  Van Nostrand, a professor of law at West Virginia University, also examines how coal’s political influence has left West Virginia ill prepared to benefit economically from clean energy as the market for coal declines.
James Van Nostrand is Director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at West Virginia University College of Law.
Related Content
<a href="https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/wholesale-electricity-justice/">Wholesale Electricity Justice</a> <a href="https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/wholesale-electricity-justice/">https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/wholesale-electricity-justice/</a>
<a href="https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/podcast/coal-communities-seek-their-post-coal-future/">Coal Communities Seek Their Post-Coal Future</a> <a href="https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/podcast/coal-communities-seek-their-post-coal-future/">https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/podcast/coal-communities-seek-their-post-coal-future/</a>
<a href="https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/electricity-storage-and-renewables-how-investments-change-as-technology-improves/">Electricity Storage and Renewables: How Investments Change as Technology Improves</a> <a href="https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/electricity-storage-and-renewables-how-investments-change-as-technology-improves/">https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/electricity-storage-and-renewables-how-investments-change-as-technology-improves/</a>
 
Energy Policy Now is produced by <a href="http://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/">The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy</a> at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit <a href="http://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/">kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu</a>

Energy Policy Now offers clear talk on the policy issues that define our relationship to energy and its impact on society and the environment. The series is produced by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and hosted by energy journalist Andy Stone. Join Andy in conversation with leaders from industry, government, and academia as they shed light on today's pressing energy policy debates.

Energy Policy Now

Energy Policy Now offers clear talk on the policy issues that define our relationship to energy and its impact on society and the environment. The series is produced by <a href="https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/podcast/">the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy</a> at the University of Pennsylvania and hosted by energy journalist Andy Stone. Join Andy in conversation with leaders from industry, government, and academia as they shed light on today's pressing energy policy debates.

West Virginia’s coal industry has out-sized influence in the state’s politics, and in Washington. But the industry’s power has come at a cost to West Virginians.

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