Chapter 37 Quiz: Energy Transition — Appalachia's Past, Present, and Future in the Climate Crisis
Multiple Choice
1. The chapter argues that Appalachia's relationship to American energy can be described as:
a) A minor regional contribution to a national energy system b) A central role spanning multiple eras — from timber to coal to natural gas — with the region consistently providing the energy resources that powered national development c) An exclusively coal-based relationship that began in the 1950s d) A purely renewable energy story
2. Abandoned mine land in Appalachia is significant to the energy transition because:
a) It is too contaminated to be used for any purpose b) The flat, cleared, grid-connected sites left by mountaintop removal are physically well-suited for utility-scale solar installations c) It has no renewable energy potential d) It can only be used for natural gas extraction
3. Acid mine drainage is:
a) A minor, easily resolved consequence of coal mining b) The flow of acidic, heavy-metal-laden water from abandoned mines into streams — a persistent environmental legacy that can last for decades or centuries c) A natural phenomenon unrelated to mining d) A problem that has been completely resolved by federal reclamation programs
4. The Mountain Valley Pipeline was controversial because:
a) It was the first pipeline ever built in the United States b) Opponents argued it was a commitment to fossil fuel infrastructure that contradicted the energy transition, while crossing ecologically sensitive terrain and private property through eminent domain c) It was entirely supported by all Appalachian communities along its route d) It was designed to transport renewable energy
5. The Inflation Reduction Act (2022) is relevant to Appalachian energy transition because:
a) It banned all fossil fuel production in the region b) It provided bonus tax credits for renewable energy projects in "energy communities" including former coalfield areas, and incentivized domestic battery manufacturing c) It had no provisions relevant to Appalachia d) It increased subsidies for coal production
6. The concept of a "just transition" means:
a) An immediate shutdown of all fossil fuel operations b) The principle that the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy should be managed fairly, with meaningful support for workers and communities that have depended on fossil fuels c) A transition that benefits only corporations d) A transition that ignores the needs of displaced workers
7. Community ownership of renewable energy is significant because:
a) It is impossible in the current legal framework b) It offers the possibility of breaking the extraction pattern by keeping the economic benefits of energy production in the communities where the energy is generated c) It has never been tried anywhere in the world d) It requires no policy support or financial investment
8. The chapter argues that the fundamental question about the energy transition in Appalachia is:
a) Whether renewable energy technology works b) Whether the transition will repeat the extraction pattern (outside ownership, profits flowing out) or break it (community ownership, local benefits) c) Whether coal will make a comeback d) Whether the mountains have enough sunlight for solar power
9. Natural gas fracking in Appalachia has been complicated by:
a) Complete community support for all fracking operations b) The legacy of the broad form deed, which separated mineral rights from surface rights, meaning that landowners who live on the surface may not own the gas beneath their property and may receive no benefits from its extraction c) A total absence of natural gas resources in the region d) Federal laws that ban all fracking in Appalachian states
10. The chapter's analysis of the Mountain Valley Pipeline's completion through congressional intervention illustrates:
a) That the courts always have the final word on energy infrastructure b) That the fossil fuel industry retains sufficient political power to override court decisions and regulatory processes when its interests are at stake c) That community opposition has no effect on pipeline construction d) That Congress never intervenes in energy policy
Short Answer
11. Explain the concept of "energy justice" as described in this chapter. What moral claim do Appalachian communities have in the energy transition, and what is the basis for that claim?
12. Describe three specific obstacles to solar development on reclaimed mine land in Appalachia. For each obstacle, explain who or what creates the obstacle and how it could be addressed.
13. The chapter draws a parallel between rural electric cooperatives (established during the New Deal) and community-owned renewable energy. What is the connection? How could the cooperative model be applied to the energy transition?
Essay
14. The chapter asks: "Will the energy transition repeat the extraction pattern or break it?" In a 600-word essay, evaluate this question using evidence from this chapter and from the coal economy chapters (15-21 and 32). What specific mechanisms would need to be in place for the transition to break the pattern? What forces are pushing toward a repetition of the pattern?
15. Compare the Mountain Valley Pipeline opposition to an earlier instance of Appalachian resistance described in this textbook (the mine wars of Chapter 17, the Buffalo Creek response of Chapter 26, or the anti-MTR movement of Chapter 24). In a 500-word essay, identify the continuities in the resistance tradition and evaluate what has changed about the tools, tactics, and outcomes of community opposition over time.