Grantee Research Project Results
2024 Progress Report: Drivers of Energy Service Transitions and Impacts on Well-being in Forest Dependent Rural Communities
EPA Grant Number: R840564Title: Drivers of Energy Service Transitions and Impacts on Well-being in Forest Dependent Rural Communities
Investigators: Schelly, Chelsea Lynn , Perlinger, Judith , Dyreson, Ana , Apriesnig, Jenny , Green, Sarah , Guo, Jiehong , Wu, Shiliang , Bohac, Dave , Quinnell, Josh , Shen, Lester
Institution: Michigan Technological University , Center for Energy and Environment
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: July 1, 2023 through May 12, 2025
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 1, 2023 through June 30,2024
Project Amount: $1,124,999
RFA: Drivers and Environmental Impacts of Energy Transitions in Underserved Communities. (2022) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Watersheds , Endocrine Disruptors , Environmental Engineering , Environmental Justice , Social Science , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Tribal Environmental Health Research , Air
Objective:
The objective of the study is to analyze pathways for energy transitions that enhance well-being in underserved communities through improved public health, economic opportunity, and energy justice outcomes. The study employs interdisciplinary research grounded in community engaged approaches. Research design includes an air quality study to assess the impacts from a local energy generation facility that uses a mix of wood, paper, plastic, and tire-derived fuels; assessments of the indoor air quality impacts of fuelwood use, energy efficiency improvements, and beneficial electrification; social science research to assess impacts and identify drivers for energy transitions at the residential, industrial, and community scales, and economic and energy modeling to evaluate the impacts of transition scenarios.
Progress Summary:
In the reporting period of July 2023-June 2024, project activities were focused on team building, development of research tools, and ensuring compliance with program and research integrity. The project team at Michigan Tech recruited, hired, and conducted orientation and onboarding for three graduate students and one postdoctoral research associate engaged with the project. The project team developed the research protocols for conducting interviews, an online survey, a study of home air quality, and home audits. The project team developed the Quality Assurance Project Plan and the materials for research with human subjects, both of which were reviewed and approved by EPA. The project also partially supports a new position at Michigan Tech, the Manager of Community Engaged Research Projects, and this position was filed in January 2024. The Manager of Community Engaged Research Projects is helping to support recruitment and communications with home air quality study participants as one current aspect of their primary job duties. The project team also recruited participants for interviews and implemented the online survey in the case study communities.
During the reporting period, a conference presentation including this project was given at the INFORMS Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, October 2023 by Ana Dyreson and a presentation was prepared for the Rural Sociological Society annual meeting in Madison, Wisconsin (presentation in July 2024 by Chelsea Schelly).
Future Activities:
The project team now has data from the first sampling event within the air quality home study, the transcripts from conducted interviews, and the first online survey associated with the project, and the next reporting period will be focused on cleaning and analyzing these data, ongoing air quality study sampling events development and implementation of a second online survey to evaluate community preferences and priorities for energy transitions. These original data will be utilized in the energy and economic modeling work with the intention of informing energy transition decision making that prioritizes public health, resident preferences, economic opportunities, and community wellbeing. During the upcoming reporting period, the project team will also be organizing and hosting in-person community meetings to seek feedback on preliminary results and input on scenario development and future project outputs.
Supplemental Keywords:
human health; socio-economics; decision making; Great LakesRelevant Websites:
Center for Innovation in Sustanability & Resilience at Michigan Tech funded projects Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.