© Copyright 2018 Brandon M
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
© Copyright 2018 Brandon M. Ray Framing Arctic Renewable Energy: A Multi-Stakeholder Analysis Brandon M. Ray A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Master of Marine Affairs University of Washington 2018 Reading Committee: Nives Dolsak, Chair Tom Leschine Nadine Fabbi Programs Authorized to Offer Degree: School of Marine and Environmental Affairs University of Washington Abstract Framing Arctic Renewable Energy: A Multi-Stakeholder Analysis Brandon M. Ray Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Nives Dolsak School of Marine and Environmental Affairs This study examines how various actors frame the shift from oil/gas-based energy to renewable energy for the Arctic regions of the United States and Canada, in light of recent federal policy initiatives, and how domestic and international coalitions might form among them. These actors, including state/territorial governments, oil/gas companies, and renewable energy, environmental non-governmental (NGO), intergovernmental, and indigenous organizations, each strive to influence the decision-making process and thus vie to have their voices heard. This study finds that economic conditions are the dominant frame used by most actors on the policy transition to renewable energy, both for and against the transition, even though the environment is generally dominant in Arctic discourse. The type of actor (e.g., indigenous, environmental NGOs, state/territorial governments, and oil/gas companies) and the country of origin affect the perspectives these groups have with regard to the shift in policy. This study relies on public statements from these actors to discern perspectives. The shift to renewables is informed by efforts that are advanced along national lines, suggesting that national identity is more important than collective identity. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ iii Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Actors in Policy Process .............................................................................................. 2 1.2 Actors in the Arctic Region ......................................................................................... 5 Chapter 2. Methodology .............................................................................................................. 8 2.1 Research Question and Analytical Model..................................................................... 8 2.2 Case Selection ........................................................................................................... 13 2.3 Content Analysis ....................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 3. State/Territorial Governments .................................................................................. 22 3.1 Alaska ....................................................................................................................... 22 3.2 Nunavut ..................................................................................................................... 25 3.3 Yukon........................................................................................................................ 26 Chapter 4. Oil Companies ......................................................................................................... 28 4.1 ConocoPhillips .......................................................................................................... 28 4.2 BP ............................................................................................................................. 30 4.3 Shell .......................................................................................................................... 31 Chapter 5. Renewable Energy Organizations ............................................................................. 33 5.1 Kodiak Electric .......................................................................................................... 33 5.2 Renewable Energy Alaska Project ............................................................................. 35 i 5.3 Yukon Energy ........................................................................................................... 37 Chapter 6. Environmental Groups (NGO) ................................................................................. 39 6.1 Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations in the Arctic.................................. 39 6.2 Greenpeace: A Case Study ......................................................................................... 42 Chapter 7. Pan-Arctic Intergovernmental Organizations ............................................................ 43 7.1 Arctic Council Overview ........................................................................................... 43 7.2 Arctic Council Analysis ............................................................................................. 47 Chapter 8. Indigenous Peoples .................................................................................................. 50 8.1 Non-Governmental, Transnational Organizations....................................................... 50 8.2 The Media in Arctic Communities ............................................................................. 53 Chapter 9. Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 56 9.1 Coalition Building ..................................................................................................... 56 9.2 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 58 9.3 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 61 9.4 Future Work .............................................................................................................. 62 Tables ....................................................................................................................................... 64 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 112 ii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1. Web sites used for data collection and analysis in this study. ........................ 64 Table 2.2. Specific sources analyzed by actor and actor type ....................................... 104 Table 3.1. Search results for state/territorial governments. Numbers are actual counts for each actor. Averages are weighted over all actors, and standard deviation is between the actors. ............................................................................................................................ 104 Table 5.1. Search results for renewable energy organizations. Numbers are actual counts for each actor. Averages are weighted over all actors, and standard deviation is between the actors. ............................................................................................................................ 106 Table 6.1. Search results for environmental non-governmental organizations. Numbers are actual counts for each actor. Averages are weighted over all actors, and standard deviation is between the actors. .............................................................................................. 106 Table 6.2. Greenpeace reports in the U.S. and Canada. Values given are percentages of the total, for ease of comparison. None of the values were statistically significant through the Difference of Proportions Test. ............................................................................ 107 Table 7.1. Search results for Arctic Council website. Values are split up by Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. There was no mention of renewable or alternative energy during the portion of the study period in which Sweden held Chairmanship, so that was not included in the table. Numbers are actual counts for each actor. Averages are weighted over all actors, and standard deviation is between the actors. ............................................................. 107 Table 7.2. Spatial framing of renewable energy concerns in the Arctic Council. Values are average number of mentions of the keywords over all the analyzed documents during each Chairmanship. ..................................................................................................... 108 Table 8.1. Search results for indigenous organizations’ websites. Numbers are actual counts for each actor. Averages are weighted over all actors, and standard deviation is between the actors. .................................................................................................................. 108 Table 8.2. Spatial framing of renewable energy concerns in public media. Values are average number of mentions of the keywords over all the analyzed documents from each news outlet. .................................................................................................................. 109 iii Table 8.3. Search results for perspectives in the media. Numbers are actual counts for each actor. Averages are weighted over all actors, and standard deviation is between the actors. Only the Cultural and Logistical framings were statistically significant