“Fractivism” in the City

• DOI: 10.1177/0160323X17720712
• Author: Yunmi Park,Zachary Mahafza,Jonathan M. Fisk
• Date: 01 June 2017
• Published date: 01 June 2017
• Subject Matter: General Interest

General Interest

“Fractivism” in the City:

Assessing Defiance at the

Neighborhood Level

Jonathan M. Fisk

1

, Yunmi Park

1

and Zachary Mahafza

1

Abstract

New extraction processes have unleashed an oil and gas renaissance. The boom has expanded

employment opportunities and swelled state and local budgets. The renaissance, however, has a

darker side. Environmentalists argue that it harms the environment, hastens the deterioration of

infrastructure, and inconveniences citizens. While states may enjoy the majorityof economic benefits,

many of its costsare felt locally. For some residents, these costsare enough to fuel defiance. Twosuch

examples are Denton, TX, and Longmont, CO. Using spatial and political data, this article assesses

which factors are helpful in understanding precinct-level voter support for fracking bans.

Keywords

energy, environment, intergovernmental, state, local

A renewed oil and gas deb ate is taking place in

statehouses and city halls across the United

States (Davis 2017; Fisk 2016). The terrain is

familiar to those who study oil and gas politics.

Proponentshighlight that production via hydrau-

lic fracturing and horizontal drilling ge nerates

statewide economic benefits including addi-

tional severance taxes and fees, expanded sales,

income, property tax collections, and revenues

for mineral right owners. They also argue that

production supports new and high-payingindus-

try jobs. Those opposing oil and gas extraction

claim that fracking pollutes air and drinking

water resources and that leaking methane accel-

erates problems associated with climate change.

They add that growth has exacerbated traffic

problems, strained municipal infrastructure,

deterioratedlocal quality of life, and hasunfairly

burdened local communities (Jacquet 2012,

2014). Importantly, in a small number of

communities, opposition to fracking has coa-

lesced into successful citi zen-led ballot initia-

tives that precluded or restricted hydrocarbon

development (Riverstone-Newell 2017). How-

ever, few, if any, analysts have empirically

tested for patterns and relationships that may

drive citizens to support local fracking bans that

constitute acts of local defiance.

Efforts to govern unconventional oil and

gas production are complicated and intergo-

vernmental (Arnold and Holahan 2014; Davis

2017a; Environmental Protection Agency

1

Department of Political Science, Auburn University,

Auburn, AL, USA

Corresponding Author:

Jonathan M. Fisk, Department of Political Science, Auburn

University, 7080 Haley Center, Auburn, AL 36830, USA.

Email: jfisk@auburn.edu

State and Local GovernmentReview

2017, Vol. 49(2) 105-116

ªThe Author(s) 2017

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DOI: 10.1177/0160323X17720712

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