Call for Papers 2026 NAREA Workshop - Opportunities and Barriers for Rural Development in America’s New Energy Landscape

June 9 – 10, 2026
Molly Pitcher Inn
Red Bank, New Jersey

ABSTRACT Deadline: February 13, 2026
The rapid deployment of new energy infrastructure including biomass, solar, wind, and carbon capture technologies, as well as new demand sources like data centers is changing the landscape of America's rural communities. While these energy projects may be welcome due to the economic opportunities that they bring, many projects encounter opposition due to their (real or perceived) negative impacts. The goal of the 2026 NAREA Workshop is to gain a deeper understanding of how new energy development is impacting rural life in America, including impacts on economic development, employment opportunities, farm incomes, environmental amenities, and health outcomes.

The workshop will be held on June 9 - 10, 2026 at the Molly Pitcher Inn in Red Bank, NJ, following the NAREA conference. We invite submissions of papers on the following topics:
· Land Use and Environmental Impacts of Energy Deployment: physical and economic consequences of new energy infrastructure, including impacts on land use, land values, agricultural profitability, ecosystem services, and emissions.
· Community Acceptance and Distributional Issues: social and political dimensions of the energy transition. Topics may include local acceptance, challenges such as protests and legal disputes, and the broader distributional impacts of emerging policies.
· The Role of Incumbent Energy Sources: impacts of existing energy sources on host communities

The workshop will convene a diverse group of stakeholders and facilitate a multi-perspective discussion on the challenges and opportunities associated with new energy development in rural areas. The workshop will feature a panel discussion, two keynote addresses, and research paper presentations. There will be a final session aimed at identifying promising research directions and catalyzing new collaborations. Papers presented during the workshop will be invited to submit to a special issue of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Review (ARER).


Abstract Submission Guidelines
Authors wishing to have a paper considered for the workshop must submit an extended abstract by February 13, 2026. Abstracts must be submitted online through NAREA’s Annual Meeting Submission System, where authors will be prompted to provide:
1. Title of the paper;
2. Name, address, e-mail address, and phone number of paper presenter or primary contact;
3. Name and institutional affiliation of paper presenter and co-author(s);
4. 2-4 key words;
5. Extended abstract: 1000 to 1500 words (excluding references)

Abstracts that do not comply with these guidelines will not be reviewed. Electronic acknowledgements of submissions will be sent to all submitters. Abstracts will be reviewed by the NAREA Post-Conference Workshop Selected Papers Committee in terms of the significance to the field, strength of methodology/design, and clarity of writing. Authors will be notified of the status of their abstract by March 15, 2026, and authors must confirm their participation in the workshop by April 1, 2026.

Papers presented at the workshop will be considered for expedited review and publication in a special issue of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Review (ARER). Authors must submit their manuscript for consideration by September 1, 2026. There are no processing fees associated with publishing in ARER.

For More Information
Further information concerning workshop registration and the final program will be provided in the spring issue of the NAREA Newsletter and on the NAREA website. For more information, please contact the NAREA Workshop Organizing Committee:
· Christine L. Crago (ccrago@resecon.umass.edu), University of Massachusetts Amherst
· Gal Hochman (gh141@illinois.edu), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign