Snake Oil, Silver Buckshot, and People Who Hate Us: Metaphors and Conventional Discourses of Wood-based Bioenergy in the Rural Southeastern United States

Abstract

Multiple experiences and sources of information influence ideas about wood-based bioenergy, and people often use similar language to reference various discourses (e.g., energy independence, rural development, environmental sustainability). We collected data during ethnographic research in three primary and three secondary field sites in the southeastern United States in which wood-based bioenergy facilities are located and at regional bioenergy conferences, as well as from publications on bioenergy from various sources. We use qualitative content analysis to show how various stakeholders in this region frame issues related to bioenergy, which bioenergy narratives and metaphors they employ, and how recurring linguistic elements are shared among bioenergy stakeholders. We focus on several key metaphors that people reference when they talk about bioenergy in different contexts, including public media, policy and management discussions, bioenergy conferences, outreach programs, and among landowners and within...