The United States is in the midst of an extraordinary oil and natural gas development boom. The use of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling (fracking) has opened numerous shale and other porous formations to oil and gas development in nearly every region of the continent. Given the potential positive and negative impacts of oil and gas resource extraction on local communities, the purpose of this study is to develop a better understanding...

This report presents the findings from a survey conducted in the fall of 2013 of people in New York State who are involved in the debates and politics of shale gas development that utilizes high-volume hydraulic fracturing. A surveys respondents, termed "policy actors", include individuals from local, state, and federal governments, oil and gas service providers and operators and industry associations, environmental and conservation groups, local...

Seventeen globally imperiled plants found in oil and gas development areas in Colorado are in danger of extinction. Collectively, these species occupy less than 11,000 acres in Colorado. One of the biggest conservation issues for Colorado native plants is the lack of awareness of the existence and status of these rare plant species. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to these species during oil and gas development activities may help to effectively conserve...

Dramatic increases in the number of oil and gas extraction wells in Colorado have raised environmental concerns about the potential effects of oil and gas activities, with active debates about the risks of groundwater contamination near the top of the list. Two of the biggest concerns related to potential groundwater contamination are methane gas migration and groundwater contamination by flowback and produced water, either through spills impacting...