Analysis perspective on environmental (in)justice basis of fracking policy: take a Texas city for example

Abstract

Adapting a distinction prominent in discussions of science policy, the main points should be applying environmental ethical point for local government's decision making. Shale gas development (SGD) via horisontal drilling and fracking is touted for economic benefits and spurned for health and environmental impacts. Despite SGD's socioeconomically salience, few peer-reviewed, empirical studies document the distribution of positive and negative effects. The City of Denton, Texas has 280 active gas wells and over a decade of SGD. Here we use an environmental justice framework to analyse the distribution of SGD's costs and benefits within Denton. Our results show that Denton's mineral wealth is widely distributed around the USA, residents own 1% of the total value extracted, and the city government is a large financial beneficiary. In addition to distributional inequities, our analysis demonstrates that split estate doctrine, legal deference to mineral owners and SGD's uniqueness in urban centres create disparities in municipal SGD decision-making processes. The environmental justice issues associated with fracking in Denton also provide one possible explanation for residents' November 2014 vote to ban hydraulic fracturing.