Unnatural resources : energy and environmental politics in Appalachia after the 1973 oil embargo /
Michael Camp.
- Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, (c)2019.
- 1 online resource.
Includes bibliographies and index.
Introduction. A joke told too many times -- "Little bitty cars" : the Department of Energy, oil decontrol, and the anticonservation backlash -- "Rich, black veins of the future" : the United Mine Workers, railroad deregulation, and the political economy of coal -- "The model-t of reactors" : the Clinch River Breeder Reactor debate in Congress -- "Deliberately inflexible" : the Tellico Dam and endangered species law -- "Hit by inflation like everyone else" : the Tennessee Valley Authority in the era of the market.
Unnatural Resources explores the intersection of energy production and environmental regulation in Appalachia after the oil embargo of 1973. The years from 1969 to 1973 saw the passage of a number of laws meant to protect the environment from human destruction, and they initially enjoyed broad public popularity. However, the oil embargo, which caused lines and fistfights at gasoline stations, refocused Americans' attention on economic issues and alerted Americans to the dangers of relying on imported oil. As a drive to increase domestic production of energy gained momentum, it soon appeared that new environmental regulations were inhibiting this initiative. A backlash against environmental regulations helped inaugurate a bipartisan era of market-based thinking in American politics and discredited the idea that the federal government had a constructive role to play in addressing energy issues. This study connects political, labor, and environmental history to contribute to a growing body of literature on the decline of the New Deal and the rise of pro-market thinking in American politics.
9780822987017
Power resources--Appalachian Region. Environmental policy--Appalachian Region.