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Abstract
Unconventional oil and gas production in the United States reversed a decades‐old trend of rising oil imports, provided an argument for lifting the U.S. crude oil export ban and motivated the development of domestic natural gas export facilities. But the most visible impact of unconventional‐hydrocarbon extraction is the creation of boomtowns in rural regions. Despite widespread media coverage, scholarly analysis of boomtowns is restricted to regional econometric studies with little attention to how economic stakeholders understand and respond to booming economies. Here we analyze interviews with key economic stakeholders in the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas. Respondents consider their community's economic success relative to the price of oil and indicate concerns about the deterioration of roads, high housing demand, and skyrocketing wages. We also re‐examine John Gilmore's foundational work on boomtowns in the 1970s in the context of contemporary unconventional extraction.
The authors would like to thank Tom Loder and Arnoldo Lima for assistance with data collection. We also appreciate Carlos Dengo for his support during the June 2016 field season. We recognize James Mjelde who provided comments on a previous version of the manuscript. Finally, we are grateful to our south Texas respondents, who were generous with their time. The authors acknowledge financial support from National Science Foundation Grants #1262521 and #1262526.
The authors would like to thank Tom Loder and Arnoldo Lima for assistance with data collection. We also appreciate Carlos Dengo for his support during the June 2016 field season. We recognize James Mjelde who provided comments on a previous version of the manuscript. Finally, we are grateful to our south Texas respondents, who were generous with their time. The authors acknowledge financial support from National Science Foundation Grants #1262521 and #1262526.
Notes
The authors would like to thank Tom Loder and Arnoldo Lima for assistance with data collection. We also appreciate Carlos Dengo for his support during the June 2016 field season. We recognize James Mjelde who provided comments on a previous version of the manuscript. Finally, we are grateful to our south Texas respondents, who were generous with their time. The authors acknowledge financial support from National Science Foundation Grants #1262521 and #1262526.
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Notes on contributors
Trey Murphy
Trey Murphy is a graduate student in the Department of Geography at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843; [[email protected]].
Christian Brannstrom
Christian Brannstrom is a professor in the Department of Geography and the director of Environmental Programs at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843; [[email protected]].
Matthew Fry
Matthew Fry is an associate professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment at the University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203; [[email protected]].
Michael Ewers
Michael Ewers is a senior policy analyst at the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) at Qatar University, Doha, Qatar; [[email protected]].