Revenue at Risk in Coal-Reliant Counties
Download Paper Abstract This paper examines the implications of a carbon-constrained future on coal-reliant county governments in the United States. We review modeling projections of coal production and argue that some local governments face important revenue risks. Complex systems of revenue and intergovernmental transfersand insufficiently detailed budget data make it difficult to parse out how ex-posed jurisdictions are to the coal industry. A look at three illustrative counties shows that coal-related revenue may fund a third or more of their budgets....