Congratulations to BSPL alumn Dr. Loïc De WeerdtLoïc De Weerdt and Ph.D canditate Kris Nichols on their publication titled Can wind energy help West Virginia off its coal-mining addiction?  published in the Energy Research & Social Science journal. 
 

Their paper explores the cultural side of the energy transition movement--arguing that understanding the gap between socioeconomic data and public perceptions is essential for designing policies that communities can embrace. Their research found that public perception doesn’t match the data: West Virginians tend to overestimate coal’s economic benefits and undervalue wind, reflecting the deep cultural and psychological weight of coal in the region. Coal mining does reduce unemployment in the short term, but it is also associated with lower per-capita income and higher poverty rates over time. Wind energy creates fewer direct jobs, but it provides long-term opportunities for economic diversification, especially in counties vulnerable to coal’s boom-and-bust cycles. 

Congrats!