CSUB receives $40,000 grant for economic resilience project

Two California State University, Bakersfield economics professors have received a grant to explore ways that Kern County - the state's leader in oil production - can successfully navigate the energy transition away from fossil fuels.

Dr. Nyakundi Michieka and Dr. Richard Ryan received a $40,000 grant from the Resilient Energy Economies initiative for a new research project focused on how Kern County can develop a more diverse, resilient economy that will be less reliant on the oil and gas industry as the state transitions to renewable energy.

"We're quite excited about this project. One of the things we strive to do is to work on research projects that actually inform policy and solve real-world issues in Kern County," Dr. Michieka said. "What this project seeks to do is to come up with a plan or method to diversify the economy and mitigate some of the adverse effects that could accompany this transition."

CSUB was one of 22 institutions across the U.S. and Canada to earn a grant from the initiative. It is the only CSU and one of only two schools in California to receive it, the other being University of California, Santa Barbara.

The 18-month project is still in the early stages and is expected to ramp up over the summer and into fall. One of the key elements of the project is talking to stakeholders from across the county, such as business and political leaders, community members and CSUB faculty and staff.

"We're going to bring together groups of people that are not typically brought together and get their perspectives on the dependence on oil in Kern County," Dr. Ryan said. "This is something that hasn't been done on this scale before."

The professors will have the opportunity to collaborate with researchers from across the country as part of the project, which Dr. Michieka is very excited about.

"It allows us to be part of this larger network, to be part of a team of individuals looking to solve real-world problems relating to this issue," he said.

While many regions and states are grappling with issues relating to the energy transition, the professors said Kern County is especially vulnerable given how much the workforce and tax revenue is currently tied to the oil and gas industry.

"Kern is at the forefront of this transition, so it's a natural fit that we were awarded the grant," Dr. Ryan said. "It demonstrates our commitment to helping people here in the community navigate such a big economic issue."

By the end of the project, the professors expect to provide a list of recommendations that leaders in Kern County can use as a framework as they develop plans to address these economic challenges.

"Hopefully we can formulate a policy that can help get things moving in the right direction," Dr. Michieka said.

The project's findings and recommendations are expected to be made available to the public through an online dashboard and journal publications.

Dr. Ryan said he wants to get students involved in the research and is looking forward to seeing what they will bring to the project.

"This will be a great opportunity to bring students on board to get to work on this compelling economic problem that affects them directly in their hometown," he said. "We want to encourage them to take part in this work."

Dr. Michieka said he's thankful for CSUB's support of their research. He believes projects like this are one of the ways the university can be of service to the region.

"This is one of the cool things CSUB as an institution does for the community," he said. "We're very privileged to be able to put the university in a place where can work with folks across the country in solving real-world issues."

Dr. Michieka and Dr. Ryan will provide a presentation about the energy transition and Kern County's economy at 6 p.m. on May 9 in the Student Recreation Center's Solario Room.