The political economy of local fracking bans

Joshua Hall, Christopher Shultz () and E. Frank Stephenson
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Christopher Shultz: State Street Corporation

Journal of Economics and Finance, 2018, vol. 42, issue 2, No 10, 397-408

Abstract: Abstract Concerns about harmful effects arising from the increased use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to extract underground fuel resources has led to efforts to ban the practice. Many townships in western New York, which lies above the gas-rich Marcellus shale formation, have enacted bans or moratoria using local zoning laws. Using spatial econometric techniques, we examine factors related to townships’ choice to adopt fracking bans and document the importance of spatial dependence when analyzing fracking bans. We find education levels, the poverty rate, and veterans groups are associated with an increased probability of a township banning or putting a moratorium on fracking. Our results inform the literature on NIMBYism as well as helping explain why local fracking bans were so pervasive despite the positive economic effect of fracking on local labor markets.

Keywords: Fracking bans; Spatial autocorrelation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H73 Q48 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Working Paper: The Political Economy of Local Fracking Bans (2015)
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DOI: 10.1007/s12197-017-9420-z

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