The politics and dynamics of energy transitions: lessons from Colorado's (USA) “New Energy Economy”

Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy

Volumn 34, Issue 2, 2016, Pages 381-396

  Betsill, Michele ^a   Stevis, Dimitris ^a  

^a Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability   (United States)

Author keywords

Colorado's New Energy Economy ; low carbon energy transitions; politics of socio technical transitions

Indexed keywords

EID: 84959371719     PISSN: 0263774X     EISSN: 14723425     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0263774X15614668     Document Type: Editorial

References (63)

1. Adams T R, 2009, “The economist: what's the most important industry in Colorado?”, ColoradoBiz, 1 August, http://www.cobizmag.com/articles/the-economist-whats-the-most-important-industry-in-colorado
2. Ashby C, 2009, “Colorado Guv cozies up to natural gas”, High Country News 18 July, http://www.hcn.org/articles/cozies-up-to-natural-gas
3. L.BakerP.NewellJ.Phillips (2014) “The political economy of energy transitions: the case of South Africa”. New Political Economy1–28. (ahead-of-print)
4. Barge C, 2008, “Ritter, energy industry part on regulatory path. Governor claims he's after balance: GOP critics cringe”, Rocky Mountain News 7 April, http://m.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/Apr/07/ritter-energy-industry-part-on-regulatory path/
5. Betsill, M, Stevis, D, Anderson, L, Fisk, J, Giannakouros, S, McGraw, S, 2012, “The politics and dynamics of energy transitions: lessons from Colorado's ‘New Energy Economy’” White Paper, Department of Political Science, Colorado State University, 29 May 2012
6. H.BulkeleyM.Betsill (2013) “Revisiting the urban politics of climate change”. Environmental Politics22: 136–154
7. Colorado Mining Association, 2009, “Colorado Mining Association Survey of Coal Producers”, http://www.coloradomining.org/Content/FileManager/2009CoalProduction-FINAL.pdf
8. Colorado Secretary of State, 2014, “September 2014 Voter Registration Statistics”, http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/VoterRegNumbers/VoterRegNumbers.html (accessed October 2, 2014)
9. Community Energy Solar, 2014, “Sun Edison Partners with Community Energy On Colorado's Largest Solar Power Plant”, http://communityenergysolar.com/sunedison-partners-with-community-energy-on-colorados-largest-solar-power-plant/ (accessed August 12, 2014)
10. Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency, 2013, “Colorado incentives/policies for renewables & efficiency”, http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=CO24R
11. C.Davis (2012) “The politics of ‘fracking’: regulating natural gas drilling practices in Colorado and Texas”. Review of Policy Research29: 177–191
12. Energy Information Agency [EIA], 2014, “Colorado: state profile and energy estimates”, http://www.eia.gov/beta/state/?sid=CO (accessed May 12, 2014)
13. J.FarlaJ.MarkardR.RavenL.Coenen (2012) “Sustainability transitions in the making: a closer look at actors, strategies and resources”. Technological Forecasting & Social Change79: 991–998
14. F.W.Geels (2011) “The multi-level perspective on sustainability transitions: responses to seven criticisms”. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions1: 24–40
15. F.W.GeelsB.ElzenK.Green (2004) “General introduction: system innovation and transitions to sustainability”. In: (eds) System Innovation and the Transition to Sustainability Theory Evidence and Policy, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 1–18
16. Governor's Energy Office [GEO], 2010, “2010 Colorado Utilities Report”, http://rechargecolorado.com/index.php/resources_overview/publications/ (accessed December 19, 2012)
17. S.GiannakourosD.Stevis (2014) “Colorado's new energy economy: ecological modernization American style?”. In: (eds) Climate Innovation: Liberal Capitalism and Climate Change, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 72–96
18. Gilman S, 2008, “Going to the grassroots: oil and gas companies mobilize from the ground up in a changing West”, High Country News 4 August, http://www.hcn.org/issues/40.14/going-to-the-grassroots
19. J.Grin (2012) “The politics of transition governance in Dutch agriculture: conceptual understanding and implications for transition management”. International Journal of Sustainable Development15: 72–89
20. Hartman T, 2011, “A blueprint for a new energy economy”, Recharge Colorado, Denver, http://rechargecolorado.com/images/uploads/pdfs/ Ritter_Energy_Book_F_ForWeb.pdf (accessed April 11, 2011)
21. D.Hess (2012) Good Green Jobs in a Global Economy: Making and Keeping New Industries in the United States, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press
22. D.Hess (2014) “Sustainability transitions: a political coalition perspective”. Research Policy43: 278–283
23. Headwaters Economics, 2012, “Report: Colorado's Oil and Natural Gas Industry”, http://headwaterseconomics.org/energy/western/colorado-oil-and-gas (accessed June 14, 2013)
24. Jaffe M, 2013, “Xcel proposes adding more wind power to its system”, The Denver Post 30 May, http://www.denverpost.com/ci_23356432/xcel-proposes-adding-more-wind-power-its-system
25. S.JacobssonV.Lauber (2006) “The politics and policy of energy system transformation: explaining the German diffusion of renewable energy technology”. Energy Policy34: 256–276
26. Jones C F, 2012, “Natural gas: bridge or dead end?”, HuffPost Green 29 August, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-f-jones/bridge-or-dead-end_b_1837015.html?utm_hp_ref=email_share (accessed January 5, 2013)
27. A.Jordan (2009) “Revisiting…The governance of sustainable development: taking stock and looking forward”. Environmental and Planning C: Government and Policy27: 762–765
28. A.JordanD.Huitema (2014) “Innovations in climate policy: the politics of invention, diffusion, and evaluation”. Environmental Politics23: 715–734
29. R.KempD.LoorbachJ.Rotmans (2007) “Transition management as a model for managing processes of co-evolution towards sustainable development”. The International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology14: 78–91
30. R.KempJ.Rotmans (2005) “The management of the co-evolution of technical, environmental and social systems”. In: (eds) Towards Environmental Innovation Systems, Berlin: Springer, pp. 33–55
31. F.KernA.Smith (2008) “Restructuring energy systems for sustainability? Energy transition policy in the Netherlands”. Energy Policy36: 4093–4103
32. F.Kern (2011) “Ideas, institutions, and interests: explaining policy divergence in fostering ‘system innovations’ towards sustainability”. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy29: 1116–1134
33. F.Kern (2012) “The discursive politics of governing transitions towards sustainability: the UK Carbon Trust”. International Journal of Sustainable Development15: 90–106
34. Leeds School of Business, 2013, “Colorado Business Economic Outlook 2014”, University of Colorado, Boulder, http://www.colorado.edu/leeds/sites/default/files/attached-files/2014_colo_bus_econ_outlook.pdf (accessed October 2, 2014)
35. Madden A, 2010, “The pathway to a new energy economy and beyond”, presentation to the Colorado Renewable Energy Society, 29 April
36. J.MarkardR.RavenB.Truffer (2012) “Sustainability transitions: an emerging field of research and its purpose”. Research Policy41: 955–967
37. J.Meadowcroft (2007) “Who is in charge here? governance for sustainable development in a complex world”. Journal of Environmental Policy Planning9: 299–314
38. J.Meadowcroft (2009) “What about the politics? Sustainable development, transition management, and long term energy transitions”. Policy Sciences42: 323–340
39. J.Meadowcroft (2011) “Engaging with the politics of sustainability transitions”. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions1: 70–75
40. National Association of State Budget Officers, 2014, “States' proposed & enacted budgets”, http://www.nasbo.org/resources/states-proposed-enacted-budgets#CO (accessed October 2, 2014)
41. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2009, “Economic development impacts in Colorado from four Vestas manufacturing facilities”, http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/44620.pdf (accessed September 30, 2014)
42. P.NewellM.Paterson (2010) Climate Capitalism, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
43. D.Ngar-yin MahJ.M.van der VleutenI.J.Chi-manIp JP.Ronald Hills (2012) “Governing the transition of socio-technical systems: a case study of the development of smart grids in Korea”. Energy Policy45: 133–141
44. G.P.PetersR.M.AndrewT.BodenJ.G.CanadellP.CiaisC.Le QuereG.MarlandM.R.RaupachC.Wilson (2013) “The challenge to keep global warming below 2 [deg]C”. Nature Climate Change3: 4–6
45. T.Princen (2005) The Logic of Sufficiency, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press
46. B.G.Rabe (2008) “States on steroids: the intergovernmental Odyssey of American Climate Policy”. Review of Policy Research25: 105–128
47. A.RipR.Kemp (1998) “Technological change”. In: (eds) Human Choice and Climate Change, Columbus, OH: Battelle Press, pp. 327–399
48. Ritter B, 2006, “The Colorado promise” coyotegulch.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/ ritter_policy_book.pdf (accessed January 4, 2013)
49. Ritter B, 2010, “Bill Ritter: advancing Colorado's new energy economy” Denver Post 3 March
50. J.RotmansR.KempM.Van Asselt (2001) “More evolution than revolution: transition management in public policy”. Foresight - The Journal of Future Studies, Strategic Thinking and Policy3: 15–31
51. E.ShoveG.Walker (2007) “Caution! Transitions ahead: politics, practice and sustainable transition management”. Environment & Planning A39: 763–770
52. A.SmithA.C.Stirling (2010) “The politics of social-ecological resilience and sustainable socio technical transitions”. Ecology and Society15. article 11
53. A.SmithA.StirlingF.Berkhout (2005) “The governance of sustainable socio-technical transitions”. Research Policy34: 1491–1510
54. Smith C, 2010, “Energy exporters stay out of San Luis Valley”, High Country News June 15, http://www.hcn.org/wotr/energy-exporters-stay-out-of-the-san-luis-valley
55. A.StraussJ.Corbin (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory, 2e, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
56. Udall R, 2009, “Mission critical: can natural gas save us from global warming?” High Country News 17 August, http://www.hcn.org/issues/41.14/mission-critical-can-natural-gas-save-the-world
57. US Census Bureau, 2014, “Colorado quick facts”, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08000.html (accessed October 2, 2014)
58. G.Unruh (2000) “Understanding carbon lock-in”. Energy Policy28: 817–830
59. G.VerbongD.Loorbach (2012) Governing the Energy Transition, Reality, Illusion or Necessity, New York: RoutledgeRoutledge Studies in Sustainability Transitions
60. G.VerbongF.Geels (2006) “The ongoing energy transition: lessons from a socio-technical, multi-level analysis of the Dutch electricity system (1960–2004)”. Energy Policy35: 1025–1037
61. Vuong A, 2008 “Ritter appoints environmentalist to PUC”, The Denver Post 15 January, http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_7977720
62. Yates P, 2008, “Drilling rule may be dropped”, Post Independent 9 September, http://www.postindependent.com/article/20080909/VALLEYNEWS/809099989/-1/rss02
63. Zaffos J, 2011, “The new energy economy” Northern Colorado Business Report 8 April, http://www.ncbr.com/article.asp?id=57002