The Resource Conflict and the Local Economic Trade-Offs of Fracking

This chapter focuses on the conflict for planners balancing sustainability with economic benefits generated by fracking. It is based on a survey of municipal planners across three hundred jurisdictions in Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Louisiana, and Colorado to understand how local residents and businesses evaluate the economic benefits of the shale industry, the differences between them, and what growth management adjustments or tools have been adopted in the wake of the boom from extraction. The survey results showed that respondent planners reported economic benefits for both local businesses and residents, with the benefits to businesses outweighing those to residents. Furthermore, these gains were associated with reduced housing affordability in the communities. Nonetheless, in all states the economic effects of fracking were seen as generating no effect or improving local economic conditions.