This book details how when Congress fails to act as a check, any administration intent on pursuing a pro-fossil policy can change governance rules to permanently entrench oil and gas extraction and reliance in the U.S. and cripple regulatory agencies. The most recent past U.S. administration’s actions violated traditional bipartisan values of economic prudence, environmental stewardship, and respect for democratic norms; damaged Americans’ health; economy and governing institutions. Americans can take steps to reset the United States to a sustainable energy pathway and a more inclusive economy. Proposed legislation that combines incentives for the deployment of renewable energy with long-term investments into revitalizing fossil fuel communities enjoys strong support among voters in fossil fuel reliant regions. Government policies that correct economic-wide signals to capture pollution and climate risks creates a more level playing field for the growth of more sustainable livelihoods. These actions can bolster the momentum for a sustainable and equitable transition.

AUTHOR: Dr. Shanti Gamper-Rabindran is an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research examines how political, legal and financial institutions help or hinder the energy transition in the Appalachian region and globally. She has served on U.S. workshops on the governance of shale extraction and published an edited volume The Shale Dilemma: A Global Perspective on Fracking and Shale Development (University Pittsburgh Press 2017). She currently serves on National Academy of Science study panel on the chemical economy. 

HOST:  Prof. Miranda Schreurs (Ph.D. University of Michigan) is Chair of Climate and Environmental Policy at the Technical University of Munich. An expert in energy policies in the United States, Europe and East Asia, Prof. Schreurs was appointed by then Chancellor Angela Merkel as a member of the Ethics Committee for a Secure Energy Supply. She is the Vice Chair of the European Advisory Council on Environment and Sustainable Development and served on the German Council on the Environment. Prof Scheurs’ books include Energy Transformation in Times of Populism, Nuclear Waste Governance, Transatlantic Environment and Energy Politics, and Environmental Politics in Japan, Germany and the United States. She previously held professorships at the University of Maryland and the Free University of Berlin.