Coal's afterlives, Diné (Energy) futures

Abstract

Reflective of national and global trends that assert the necessity of moving away from carbon-based modes of energy production, I analyze the ascent of extraction-based economies on the Navajo Nation in order to conceptualize an energy transition. Upon the impending closure of the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station $163 million in tax revenues will be forfeited to the region, including the sizable community of Diné residents in the region. I engage with debates surrounding the New Mexico Energy Transition Act to challenge the role of property in conversations regarding energy transitions. Finally, I turn to Diné principles in order to imagine an energy future for the Nation, claiming this must be coupled with broader coalitions centered on contentious politics asserting environmental and economic justice as fundamental to a just transition.