The convergence of economic development and energy-transition policies in state-government plans in the United States

Abstract

© 2014 Hess & Mai CC-BY Attribution 4.0 License. Because elected officials and voting publics in the United States have disagreed with policies to decrease greenhouse-gas emissions and increase renewable energy, research is needed to help guide practitioners toward policy initiatives that are less likely to trigger opposition. This study assesses one type of policy for which disagreements may be less heated: economic development targets for industrial sectors in U.S. state governments that sup-port the renewable energy and clean technology (RE&CT) industrial sector. A review of state-government plans and strategy statements shows that support for plans with a sectoral strategy does not divide strongly along party lines, and likewise there are Republican governors who support plans for targeted economic development strategies that include their state’s RE&CT sector. However, there is some ideological opposition to sectoral targeting in general, and a qualitative comparative analysis indicates that in states with both strong fossil-fuel employment and Republican governors, support is weaker for the RE&CT sector in the plans. Overall, whereas opportunities for political compromise are blocked in many policy arenas for renewable energy and greenhouse gas regulation, the arena of green economic development appears to offer modest opportunities.