The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot project will be only the second operating offshore wind project in the United States when it enters service later this year. This gives Virginia, a state criticized for a weak regulatory environment and environmental policy that has been slow to embrace renewable energy, an opportunity to take a leadership position in the development of this zero-carbon resource. One explanation for the CVOW project's emergence is the Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DIT), which relates the rate of adoption of novel solutions to factors such as relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability – all factors which play, to varying degrees, in favor of this project. Another explanation involves an inversion of Regulatory Capture Theory (RCT). RCT posits that regulated industries capture otherwise neutral regulating bodies, to the detriment of the generic public interest. Others argue that RCT underplays the degree to which regulators prioritize the interests of the regulated community over the public interest, defending a Climate of Capitulation Theory (CCT). While Virginia has recently taken an aggressively pro-wind policy position as it competes with other states to serve as a hub for the offshore wind industry and responds to voter interests in sustainability, the CVOW project problematizes RCT. It also suggests that a real-world climate of capitulation may not always work against the public interest. Judiciously combined with DIT, CCT can explain how external pressures on Virginia government, combined with internal pressures exerted by public opinion in relation to the development of the offshore wind industry, are steering 'capitulation' in directions that assist the public interest in sustainability. In the real world of energy politics, and against RCT, regulators are and have never been neutral, and therefore liable to capture. In a climate of capitulation, and setting aside other questions of the public interest, the willingness of regulators to serve the interests of the regulated community can, when taking external and internal factors into account, redound to the public interest in sustainability. / Master of Arts / Virginia has historically been criticized for a weak regulatory environment and for having environmental policies that have been slow to embrace renewable energy. Yet, the state is about to become home to just the second offshore wind project in America and plans are moving forward on a proposal to build the largest offshore wind project in North America off the Commonwealth's coast by 2026. This thesis explores the factors that led to the development of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot project and how Virginia became a major player in this zero-emission clean energy resource. One explanation is provided by the Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DIT) which details how innovative solutions take hold and examines factors which can accelerate adoption rates. Another explanation is found by considering an inversion of Regulatory Capture Theory (RCT). RCT is premised on the idea that regulated industries can hold sway over the regulating bodies, often to the detriment of the generic public interest. A variation of RCT focused on Virginia environmental policy, Climate of Capitulation Theory (CCT), explains how Virginia regulators have, at times, not provided strong enough environmental protections. However, the CVOW project shows how the regulated community, policy makers and public opinion are coming together to position Virginia at the forefront of the offshore wind industry and how the willingness of regulators to serve the interests of the regulated community can serve the interests of both the public and the environment, as well.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/98783 |
| Date | 08 June 2020 |
| Creators | Daudani, Rayhan |
| Contributors | Political Science, Scerri, Andrew Joseph, Pula, Besnik, Luke, Timothy W. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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