Abstract
This paper explores the extent to which local public support for an unconventional gas development (UGD) project is associated with public revenues disbursed to county and municipal governments where UGD occurs. Pennsylvania adopted “impact fees” in 2012, which have raised more than $400 million for use by county and municipal governments that host UGD. We designed a public opinion survey (N=453) that oversamples residents in UGD counties in Pennsylvania to test whether residents in counties and municipalities that received impact fees are more supportive of a hypothetical UGD project than residents in counties and municipalities that received less or no impact fee revenue. We found that impact fee revenue is positively associated with support for the UGD project. Further, the level of government receiving the funds (county versus municipality) is related to public support for UGD: impact fee revenue disbursed to municipal governments is associated with a higher rate of public support than comparable amounts disbursed to county governments, conditional on the respondent being aware of fracking prior to the survey. Our findings are consistent with the literature on public trust in local government and have implications for understanding the social feasibility of UGD in the United States and internationally.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
