Kathryn J. Brasier

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS AND CASE STUDIES: Marcellus Shale Gas Development and New Boomtown Research: Views of New York and Pennsylvania Residents

Development of unconventional natural gas resources in the Marcellus Shale region of the northeastern United States has progressed rapidly over the last decade. The discourse surrounding such development recalls quarter-century-old debates about positive and negative implications for the well-being of such energy boomtowns. Potential support or opposition relates to trust in the industry and its regulators, perceived knowledge, and perceived impacts. Our research project takes advantage of the opportunity for a natural experiment in comparing these elements between two spatially adjacent sites with contrasting approaches to gas development: in Pennsylvania, drilling of unconventional natural gas reserves has been proceeding for nearly a decade, whereas, at the time of this writing, drilling has not begun in New York. A mail survey of a random sample of New York and Pennsylvania residents within the Marcellus region revealed important differences between sites. New York residents were more opposed to development, characterized the industry in a more negative light, and were more likely to have engaged in various forms of public participation. In contrast, respondents did not differ by state on their perceived level of knowledge, even though gas development is more advanced in Pennsylvania. Potential explanations for these findings are offered, as are implications for understanding newly emerging energy boomtowns.

RESEARCH ARTICLE: Risk Perceptions of Natural Gas Development in the Marcellus Shale

Exploration and extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale have created considerable controversy. At the core of these debates are differing perceptions of the level and types of risks involved with the extraction activities, such as hydraulic fracturing, truck traffic, air emissions, and population growth. Risks described include the potential for human and environmental health implications, as well as community change and economic gain. This article explores the nature of perceived risks associated with Marcellus Shale development by using data from a household survey (N = 1,917) conducted in 2009–10 in Pennsylvania and New York counties located in the core areas of the Marcellus Shale region. The article describes a quantitative measure of risk perceptions. Statistical analyses of the data indicate that trust in institutions responsible for managing the risks associated with development and attitudes related to relationships between people and nature are associated strongly with perceptions of risk. Other associated variables include reported knowledge of environmental, social, and economic impacts, mineral rights ownership, demographic characteristics (gender, income), and state of residence. Implications of these findings are discussed, particularly as related to improving local discourse surrounding Marcellus Shale development.

A Typology of Catalyst Events for Collaborative Watershed Management in the United States

While much has been written about the benefits of collaborative watershed management to address nonpoint source pollution and other water quality concerns in the United States, few scholars have addressed the catalytic nature of events that generate these collective action responses. Further, because equivalent catalyst events in different communities do not always lead to collective action, it is critical to understand the interaction between a communitys baseline conditions and the catalyst events that lead to collective action. This article presents a conceptual framework that illustrates the relationship between baseline conditions and events that lead to collective action. In this article a theoretical typology of catalyst events is presented that includes both intentional and nonintentional types of events. Understanding these types of catalyst events can help water quality advocates create and/or seize opportunities to nurture a collective action. This article concludes with a call for future research into catalyst events.

Spatial Analysis of Changes in the Number of Farms during the Farm Crisis.

This analysis reexamines factors affecting farm change during the Farm Crisis using spatial analysis techniques to identify important spatial factors and correct for spatial autocorrelation. Results indicate the importance of indicators of farm structure, percent of prime farmland, and state-level processes in predicting changes in the number of farms. The findings also suggest a spatially-dependent process: counties near each other in space experienced similar types and rates of change in the number of farms. Reasons for the effects of geographic proximity are explored.

Small Farm Clusters and Pathways to Rural Community Sustainability

Industry “clusters” are groups of businesses that are part of the same industry, share a common characteristic, coordinate some parts of their business activities but are competitive in others, and are geographically located near each other. Recent research has recognized the importance of industry clusters to regional development, competitiveness, and innovation. In particular, clusters are promoted as innovative models for rural communities in the face of globalization. Our research takes several lessons from industrial cluster research and applies them to clusters of small farms in the Northeast United States. As part of an on-going research and extension project, we are investigating the processes by which agricultural clusters form and the methods by which cluster members communicate, share and create knowledge, innovate in management, and relate to their surrounding communities. In this article we examine the ways in which agricultural clusters lead to more viable farms and sustainable rural communities. Data for this article are drawn from 51 key informant interviews from seven small farm clusters in the Northeast. Our findings are useful for cluster members and communities interested in promoting clusters.

Local Champions Speak Out: Pennsylvania’s Community Watershed Organizations

Community-based watershed organizations (CWOs) are non-governmental, non-profit, voluntary organizations with a water-related theme or mission. Interview data collected from 56 Pennsylvania CWOs are examined for evidence of social outcomes from collaborative management approaches that include local citizens. CWO members’ actions have multiple effects in their communities: environmental education and behavior change, and positive “unintended” outcomes that build local capacity at multiple levels for leadership, partnerships and policy impact.

Occupational health characteristics of women on dairy farms in Pennsylvania.

ABSTRACT Women play a significant role in Pennsylvania production agriculture, thereby exposing themselves to occupational health risks. The goal of this cross-sectional study was to assess the incidence of health conditions with a possible zoonotic origin in this underserved population. A written survey was sent to a stratified, random sample of dairy farms in Pennsylvania (n = 3709) using a modified version of the Dillman method. In addition to demographic data, the survey was used to collect information on the occurrence of zoonotic diseases, gastrointestinal illnesses, respiratory problems, dermatoses, and womens reproductive health issues. Of the 624 respondents, 10.4% (n = 65) reported that they had contracted a disease from an animal. Interestingly, only 9 respondents indicated that they had suffered from foodborne illnesses in the past year including salmonellosis (n = 1), campylobacteriosis (n = 1), and gastroenteritis due to Escherichia coli (n = 1). A risk factor associated with difficulty breathing was the lack of use of a breathing mask, whereas ventilation in the free stall area appeared to offer a protective effect. Difficulty breathing was reported by 9.8% (n = 61) of the respondents. Risk factors associated with skin disorders included raising fruits and/or vegetables, raising swine, and not wearing gloves when milking. The findings of the study suggest that many of the illnesses and conditions could have been acquired by working with dairy animals and their environment. Based on the findings of this study, additional investigations on the causes and prevention of these illnesses are warranted.

Chapter 5 Perceptions of agriculture's multifunctional role among rural Pennsylvanians

Purpose – The policy approach of multifunctionality – that agriculture has benefits beyond the production of food and fiber – has been debated within global trade negotiations. Little is known about the perceptions of agricultures multifunctional nature at the local level. These perceptions may be particularly pertinent in rural locations undergoing rapid transformations of the agricultural system, economic base, and related land uses. This chapter describes research conducted to examine the perceptions of agricultures impact on local communities and the policy choices needed to support agricultures multifunctionality. Methodology – Six focus groups were conducted in Pennsylvania, USA. Counties were selected to represent three differentiated rural spaces (contested, clientelist, preserved), in which production and consumption interests claims vie for control of rural land. Participants represented both production and consumption interests, and described their perceptions of local agriculture and policy preferences. Findings – Production and consumption interests across the study sites expressed views consonant with global discussions, in that agriculture provides significant positive impacts and few negative. However, locally specific issues related to taxes, land use planning, and farmland preservation dominated discussion. Participants supported a mix of policy tools (voluntary, regulatory, educational), but gave little credence to federal programs. Research limitations/implications – Policy initiatives to support agricultural multifunctionality need to be sensitive to local conditions and create an enabling environment to allow multiple stakeholders opportunities to identify issues and preferred policy mechanisms. Originality – Previous research has identified multifunctionality concepts at the global level; this chapter localizes multifunctionality, and examines potential hurdles to implementation.

Communities Experiencing Shale Gas Development

The influx of natural gas infrastructure and laborers associated with Marcellus Shale development has raised questions regarding the presence of a “boomtown” effect on Pennsylvania’s rural communities. This chapter examines quantitative and qualitative data gathered from four Pennsylvania counties to assess how various social indicators, including housing, healthcare, education, crime, and residents’ perceptions of their communities, have changed as a result of Marcellus Shale development. The quantitative data indicate that changes across many of these indicators are limited and difficult to distinguish from regional and long-term trends. Qualitative data resulting from focus groups, on the other hand, demonstrates substantial changes in how residents feel about their communities and their outlook for the future. The community implications of these findings are discussed, as well as the methodological challenges of studying rural communities experiencing unconventional development.

Barriers to sharing water quality data: experiences from the Shale Network

The Shale Network is a group of stakeholders collating, publishing, and conducting research on water quality data collected in the northeastern United States experiencing natural gas extraction from shale using hydraulic fracturing. In developing the Shale Network, we have experienced reluctance to share data from all participating sectors. This paper explores this reluctance, identifying barriers to greater collaboration among multiple stakeholders in natural resource management projects. Findings are derived from participant observation of the Shale Network team, surveys conducted during Shale Network workshops, interviews with water quality stakeholders, and participant observation of water quality monitoring training sessions. The barriers identified include perceptions about data problems and quality, technical capacity, regulatory and legal limitations, competition for resources, and resource allocation decisions. This paper identifies strategies the Shale Network has used to overcome data-sharing barriers to expand a culture of data sharing that supports enhanced nature resource management and citizen engagement.