RAPID: Collaborative Research: Post-Sandy Discourse about Energy Infrastructure and Security

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Superstorm Sandy highlighted the vulnerability of US energy systems. The storm resulted in power outages to 8.6 million customers and gasoline shortages in New York and New Jersey. Extending research already underway on the values that inform Smart Grid development and use as well as barriers to implementation, collaborators from four regions in the US will explore if and how Sandy will influence political and policy discourse about energy infrastructure and security and whether it does so in regions not directly impacted by the storm. To address these research questions, this RAPID response grant, funded by the Science, Technology & Society Program and the Energy for Sustainability Program, will document discourse among energy sector actors and the media in four different U.S. regions: New York and New Jersey (those areas hardest hit), Massachusetts (a New England region which was less severely hit), Minnesota (a Midwest region which was not directly affected), and Texas (a Gulf region which is vulnerable to hurricanes but was not directly disrupted by Superstorm Sandy).Documenting discursive shifts or stability in different regions in the aftermath of an event like Superstorm Sandy will contribute to environmental communication theory by refining our understanding of how natural disasters combine with existing communication networks to influence political salience. This research will also contribute to the socio-technical transitions literature by illuminating the potential of natural disasters like Sandy to influence socio-technical transitions toward sustainability. The researchers' results will enable energy professionals, state and regional planners, policy analysts, non-profits, and businesses to develop more effective strategies for transitioning to more secure and sustainable energy systems.