The Politics of Fracking
Over the last decade, the oil and gas industry has garnered a lot of support from the United States federal and state governments in the name of energy independence and economic prosperity. More specifically, hydraulic fracturing or fracking is said to not only make the production of affordable energy possible but also reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by substituting coal with natural gas in the utility sector. Behind the faade of many socio-economic and political benefits, the process of fracking causes serious environmental concerns. Dismissing the negative externalities of fracking simply raises the question, to what extent have communities close to fracking sites been adversely impacted by it?
In this book, Sarmistha R. Majumdar studies four communities close to fracking well sites in Texas to help illustrate to what extent fracking regulations have been developed in Texas and how effective these regulations have been in safeguarding the interests of individuals in local communities amidst the lure of economic gains from the extraction of oil and natural gas from shale formations. Majumdar has developed a model to show stage by stage community actions to regain their quality of life and the consequences of their actions, if any, on state and local regulations and ordinances, and the oil and gas industry.
This book will be an important resource for scholars of environmental and natural resource politics and policy in the United States.
Sarmistha R. Majumdar is an associate professor at Texas Southern University where she specializes in the analysis of public policies, mainly those related to transportation and environment. She teaches classes on public policies, research methods, and public administration.
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The Politics of Fracking
Regulatory Policy and Local Community Responses to Environmental Concerns
Sarmistha R. Majumdar
First published 2019
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Majumdar, Sarmistha R., author.
Title: The politics of fracking : regulatory policy and local community responses to environmental concerns / Sarmistha R. Majumdar.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2019. | Series: Routledge research in public administration and public policy | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018018579| ISBN 9781138682597 (hardback) | ISBN 9781134823437 (webPDF) | ISBN 9781134823505 (ePub) | ISBN 9781134823574 (MobiPocket/Kindle)
Subjects: LCSH: Hydraulic fracturingPolitical aspectsUnited States.
| Hydraulic fracturingPublic opinionUnited States. | Energy policyUnited States. | Gas industryUnited States.
Classification: LCC TN871.255 .M35 2019 | DDC 338.2/7280973dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018018579
ISBN: 978-1-138-68259-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-54505-9 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
Living in the energy capital of the world, where the headquarters and offices of many major oil and natural gas companies are located, it is difficult to remain oblivious to news on the latest trend in oil and gas exploration and production in the state of Texas and the nation. Here, the local newspaper, the Houston Chronicle has a special section called Fuel Fix. In this section, one can find not only the latest rig counts in the state and the country but also news on various aspects of fracking and how it has impacted on local economies and peoples lives. As a daily online reader of this local newspaper, it was here that I first got acquainted with the word and process of fracking.
As I followed the news articles on fracking from the east to west coast and in Texas and did my research on the topic, I became all the more convinced that more research and publications on the topic were needed in the field of social science. True, there exist many books and research articles on the geological and engineering aspects of this advanced drilling procedure but only a few such peer reviewed articles and books are available analyzing fracking through the lens of social science. As I was getting ready for an in-depth analysis on the social aspects of fracking, I availed an offer to write a book on it. With my interest and background in public policies and the environment, I decided to focus on the existing regulations on fracking and its foreseen and unforeseen impacts on those communities that are located at close proximity to fracking sites.
As I started writing the book, I made a few visits to fracking sites in the Barnett Shale of North Texas and came into contact with many people who willingly shared with me their stories and expressed their concerns and opinions on this advanced drilling procedure. To all these people, I convey my sincere thanks for providing me with valuable information. I also would like to acknowledge the help that I received from various public agencies throughout the state and the nation in providing me with the facts and statistics. I appreciate the assistance that I received from the journalists of the
