Sites of Ambivalence? Conflicting Attitudes Toward Coal in Southern West Virginia

Abstract

Communities with legacies of fossil fuel extraction bear the brunt of socioeconomic impacts of energy transitions, and the residents of those communities also play a role in energy policy debates. In the coalfields of southern West Virginia, residents are often portrayed as unquestionably supportive of the coal industry at the expense of the local environment. As such, the region could be categorized as a site of acceptance where locals internalize attitudes that favor the coal industry and deregulation. However, this article posits that southern West Virginia may be better categorized as a site of ambivalence—a place where communities and individuals hold complex and conflicted attitudes toward polluting industries. I use data from a mail survey of 575 southern West Virginians to illustrate community and individual ambivalence. Quantitative data from the survey show conflicting stances in the community, on average: the coal industry is simultaneously perceived as economically viable and safe, but coal companies are viewed as untrustworthy. Respondents also wrote open-ended comments that were coded based on different stances toward the coal industry. Of the comments that mentioned coal, roughly 40% of respondents were pro-coal, compared with 20% who supported economic diversification beyond coal, and 19% who opposed coal's presence in the region. Furthermore, written comments illustrated examples of residents' views that were conflicting and competing. These findings suggest that some communities—even ones that are rural, isolated, and resource-dependent—may be more conflicted about the legacy and future of the fossil fuel industry. I discuss the potential implications of this ambivalence on just transition planning in Appalachia and other extractive regions.