The effort is part of the Resilient Energy Economies Initiative, a philanthropic program led by Resources for the Future and partner universities. It’s supporting projects across the country designed to help communities prepare for economic shifts tied to the decline of coal and other fossil fuels.
In the Four Corners, the project is backed by about $70,000 and will focus on various communities, including the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe.
The region has long depended on coal production and power plants, which have provided jobs and tax revenue for decades. But many of those facilities have closed in recent years or are expected to shut down — including the Navajo Generating Station, which ceased operations in 2019 — leaving local leaders searching for new economic pathways.
Daniel Raimi, who helps lead the initiative, said the goal is not simply to replace fossil fuel jobs, but to help communities identify opportunities that reflect their own priorities and strengths.
“It doesn't have to be solar or wind or geothermal or nuclear or anything else,” Raimi said. “There might be a great opportunity in aerospace, or in some kind of medical sciences, or there might be a great opportunity in tourism.”
Raimi said the project will involve working directly with local and tribal partners to better understand what long-term economic resilience could look like — and how to get there.
He said one key focus is ensuring communities have a central role in shaping their economic futures as the energy transition unfolds.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between KUNR, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
