Reversing signals of neglect: Legacy pollution, adaptive governance, and resilience in historic coal communities

A cross-disciplinary literature on just transitions shows that shifting to a lower-carbon economy can take jobs, tax revenues, and people from fossil-fuel-dependent communities. But few studies examine how pollution left by extractive industries may amplify and perpetuate losses. We conducted interviews with 39 stakeholders involved in remediating waterways polluted by abandoned coal mines in Pennsylvania, which once led coal production in the U.S. We find that, in our cases, water pollution acts as a “signal of neglect” that suppresses recreational use and economic activity and fosters pessimism among local residents. In our sample, communities with more social capital, defined by strong leadership and well-organized fishing and environmental networks, have successfully remediated numerous waterways. Although there was not deliberate coordination between remediation and economic development initiatives, participants report that cleaned waterways support emerging tourism and outdoor recreation industries. Our findings suggest that in some contexts, reversing signals of neglect can foster community optimism and local economic resilience. However, current policies to support waterway remediation depend on existing social capital and may therefore bypass socially-frayed communities. Our findings motivate policies to build grassroots capacity and to streamline remediation processes to reduce burdens on that capacity.