The Shale Renaissance: How Fracking Has Changed Pennsylvania in the Twenty-First Century PDF
Preview The Shale Renaissance: How Fracking Has Changed Pennsylvania in the Twenty-First Century
THE SHALE RENAISSANCE THE SHALE RENAISSANCE How Fracking Has Changed Pennsylvania in the Twenty-First Century JONATHAN M. FISK, SOREN JORDAN, AND A.J. GOOD University of Pittsburgh Press Published by the University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15260 Copyright © 2022, University of Pittsburgh Press All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America Printed on acid-free paper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Cataloging-in-Publication data is available from the Library of Congress ISBN 13: 978-0-8229-4736-3 ISBN 10: 0-8229-4736-6 Cover art and design by Melissa Dias-Mandoly This book is dedicated to my family, including my supportive partner, Mel- anie, and our three sons, Noah, Micah, and Caleb. Thank you for being my motivation to finish this book and a daily source of laughter and joy. Jonathan M. Fisk To Kim and Pat, who taught me how to theorize; to Dan, who taught me how to model; and to Victoria and Pippa, who remind me why it’s worth it. Soren Jordan I dedicate this book to my partner, Megan, and our two children, Ida and Benton. I am deeply grateful for your continual patience, unwavering sup- port, and unconditional love over the course of this journey. Thank you for being the best part of each day and my source of inspiration. A. J. Good CONTENTS Preface ix CHAPTER 1 The Politics of Unconventional Oil and Gas and the Challenge of Compliance 3 CHAPTER 2 Developing a Theory of Oil and Gas Compliance 39 CHAPTER 3 Pennsylvania, Fracking, and the Twenty-First-Century Boom 67 CHAPTER 4 Compliance Trends 99 CHAPTER 5 Site-Level Factors 129 CHAPTER 6 County-Level and Substate Factors 151 CHAPTER 7 State-Level Factors 169 CHAPTER 8 The Context of Compliance 200 Appendix: Methods 209 Notes 215 Works Cited 217 Index 239 viii PREFACE State regulations, regulators, and enforcement practices are at the core of many environmental debates, including the oil and gas controversy (War- ner and Shapiro 2013). Even with additional scrutiny, the politics of con- ventional and unconventional oil and gas production are fractious and have appeared on the regulatory and legislative agenda in more than thirty states (Fisk 2017). Oil and gas rules are designed to protect environmental qual- ity and public health while still permitting efficient development and ex- traction. The challenge for regulators, therefore, is designing rules, inspec- tion protocols, and consequences that satisfy both goals. Overzealous rules and enforcement may stymie growth, hurt industry, and lead to antagonistic relationships between regulators and regulated firms. The twenty-first century’s oil and gas debate directly impacts nearly all aspects of American life: fifteen million Americans live or have lived within one mile of an extraction site, oil and gas provide 34 percent of total electri- cal generation in the United States, hundreds of thousands are employed by the industry, in some states oil and natural gas heats more than 50 percent of homes, it fuels millions of personal vehicles, and it is used in countless prod- ucts daily (Fisk 2017). Yet, despite the central role that oil and gas extraction ix
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