The Right to Know? State Politics of Fracking Disclosure

Energy firms in the United States are increasingly expanding their production of natural gas, often by relying on a controversial extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing. While proponents cite a litany of benefits including economic development and reduced carbon emissions, opponents articulate concerns typically centering on environmental quality. Caught between these opposing points of view, states are turning to disclosure requirements. Yet all disclosure statutes are not created equally. In order to better understand this variation, the authors utilizes Abel, Stephan, and Kraft's (ASK) 2007 performance model, which evaluates the effectiveness of information-based disclosure rules for industry. The model here, however, is applied in an attempt to understand why disclosure regulations emerge and vary across states. Results generally validate the ASK approach but with the caveat that in the context of differing disclosure regulations, the ASK model's pollution severity/risk measure may be refined by including risk perception.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1111/ropr.12025
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/1541132X
• Authors:
  • Fisk, Jonathan M
• Publication Date: 2013-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 345-365
• Serial:
  • Review of Policy Research
  • Volume: 30
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Blackwell Publishing
  • ISSN: 1541-132X
  • EISSN: 1541-1338

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Environmental policy; Environmental risk assessment; Hydraulic fracturing; Information dissemination; Mining and extractive industries; Natural gas; Political factors; State laws
• Uncontrolled Terms: Disclosure
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Energy; Environment; Law; Policy; Transportation (General); I10: Economics and Administration; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01487745
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 3 2013 10:22AM