Abstract
The oil industry is seen as being similar to other mining activities in having a cycle of expansion and subsequent contraction. Previous literature suggests this cycle leads to boomtown communities. Furthermore, the oil and gas industry is often seen as a having primarily negative social effects on the communities it invades. The present research takes an in-depth look at the small South Louisiana community of St. Mary Parish; an area with eco-nomic roots in such extraction enterprises as lumber, fishing and later, oil. Positive attributes of the presence of the oil and gas industry are identified, namely-sustainability and increased life chances of local residents. Due to methodological limitations previous research might have been unable to holistically view the off-shore oil in-dustries impacts on communities. This paper concludes that the paradigmatic usage of the NEPA boomtown model is inapt for the study of the Gulf off-shore oil industry.
Highlights
The offshore oil industry is one of the largest industries in the gulf area
The use of social impact assessment models that were designed to assess different forms of energy extraction might have led to misleading results which might be avoided by utilizing methodology more tailored to the off-shore oil industry
As noted at the beginning of this article one of the industrial features of oil and gas extraction is its cycle of expansion and contraction in supply and demand
Summary
The offshore oil industry is one of the largest industries in the gulf area. Within 40 years of its inception, the industry provided direct employment to 41,798 residents of Louisiana. Sugar cane farming delegated to South America, and the rise of Asian shrimp markets, St. Mary parish likely would have experienced great economic decline if it had not been for the development of off-shore oil and gas and its associated service activities. Mary parish likely would have experienced great economic decline if it had not been for the development of off-shore oil and gas and its associated service activities This positive aspect of off-shore oil in this community has often been unidentified in previous research. The use of social impact assessment models that were designed to assess different forms of energy extraction might have led to misleading results which might be avoided by utilizing methodology more tailored to the off-shore oil industry
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