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County Payment Reform Ideas, and Analysis of Recent Proposals
Reform ideas for future county payments from Headwaters Economics as well analysis of proposals made in the House, Senate, and by the President.
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Will Federal Coal Valuation Reforms Hurt the Coal Industry? Yes And No
The Office of Natural Resources Revenue recently proposed a new rule that would change the way federal coal is valued for royalty purposes. Will it hurt the industry? Yes and No.
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The Economic Value of Public Lands in Grand County, Utah
This updated report analyzes the economic value of public lands in Grand County, Utah and the important role that these lands play for local businesses and the well-being of the region’s economy.
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Unconventional Oil and Gas Revenues to Local Governments
This report includes seven major energy-producing states and a new interactive adds four more (AR, LA, and PA). The study and interactive compare how local governments receive production tax revenue from unconventional oil and natural gas.
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Federal Coal Royalty Valuation: Current Structure, Effective Rates, and Reform Options
This report reviews problems with the current federal royalty system, estimates current effective royalty rates, and offers several reform options.
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Understanding Climate Change Impacts on Cities, Counties, and National Forest Regions
A sample of research and free tools available to help communities better understand the potential socioeconomic impacts of climate change.
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Migration & Population Trends in the West Vary by County Type
County migration and population trends in the West constantly change. We summarize counties into four types–high-wage services, farm-dependent, oil and natural gas boom, and retirement destinations–to show the relationship between population and economic structure.
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Economic Opportunities in the Blackfoot Watershed
This report provides an overview of the Blackfoot River watershed’s economy and summarizes the findings from six focus groups that explored potential economic opportunities.
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The Tongass Transition Framework: A New Path Forward?
This report examines whether the Tongass Transition Framework, which proposed a “new path forward,” is working to enhance economic opportunities in southeast Alaska while conserving the National Forest.
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Understanding the Recreation Economy on Nearby Public Lands
How can communities measure and take advantage of the economic impacts of nearby outdoor recreation activities on public lands?
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Getting the Economics Right: Communities, National Forests, and Local Development Decisions
Getting the economics right is important for communities to compete in a modern economy. We’ve created a number of tools to help rural, western communities better understand current trends as well as the role of the nearby National Forest or other public lands.
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Time for a U.S. Natural Resources Trust?
Compared to other nations and even U.S. states, the federal government is a conspicuous laggard in creating a natural resources trust which would allow for stable, permanent, and ever rising payments to states and local governments without risks to taxpayers.
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Falling Oil Prices: Good for the U.S. Economy, Bad for Shale Communities?
Lower oil prices could be great for the economy, but for the communities dependent on drilling, the price drop may prove challenging for several reasons.
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Benefits of Renewable Energy in the West Vary Widely
The West is rich in renewable energy opportunities, but research demonstrates that property tax revenues from this development vary widely across 17 rural study counties due to state tax policies.
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How Is Fracking Shaping Your Community and Economy?
Monitoring can help local governments better understand the socioeconomic impacts caused by energy development, and support requests to industry and state government for assistance to implement appropriate mitigation.
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Lessons for Wildfire from Federal Flood Risk Management Programs
This paper reviews the experience of national floodplain management programs to draw lessons for new approaches to reduce the costs and risks posed by wildfire to properties in the Wildland-Urban Interface.
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On Halloween, Many Counties with High Death Rates Still Growing
It’s All Hallow’s Eve, so we decided to look at western counties where the dead most recently were living. But a high death rate does not mean a county is faring poorly. Like most things, it’s complicated.
