University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Spatial dimensions of energy politics: Geography and equity in the Illinois energy transition

Anderson, Shannon Rose

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/120426

Description

Title
Spatial dimensions of energy politics: Geography and equity in the Illinois energy transition
Author(s)
Anderson, Shannon Rose
Issue Date
2023-05-03
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Johnson, McKenzie
Department of Study
Natural Res & Env Sci
Discipline
Natural Res & Env Sciences
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
  • energy transition
  • state policy
  • energy policy
  • energy justice
  • environmental justice
Abstract
In 2021, Illinois passed the Energy Transition Act, popularly referred to as the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), establishing clean energy goals with an emphasis on equity. CEJA outlines specific mechanisms to improve environmental justice and equity outcomes in the state-mandated transition to clean energy. This thesis interrogates how equity and justice are institutionalized in state energy policy in Illinois by focusing on the Illinois Solar for All program as a case study on the limitations of mapping for environmental justice and tracing the political processes that have shifted the scale of governance for renewable energy siting to the state level over time. Drawing on 23 semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and geospatial analysis, I explore how energy governance affects equity across changing landscapes and consider the implications of uneven governance on the future of energy politics in the Midwest. This research finds that uneven spatialization of energy politics in Illinois through institutionalization of environmental justice at the state level may create new and uneven landscapes in the energy transition.
Graduation Semester
2023-05
Type of Resource
Thesis
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2023 Shannon Anderson

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