Analysis shows that proposed federal royalty reforms will increase the cost of delivering natural gas to domestic power plants by a greater amount than coal.
Oil & Gas
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.
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.
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.
Fiscal Lessons for State and Local Governments
This report explores the challenges for states and local communities caused by unconventional oil and natural gas development, and fiscal best practices that address them.
Report: New Mexico’s Oil and Natural Gas Industry
This graphical analysis reviews the status of New Mexico’s oil and gas industry including production, drilling activity, and its role in the state’s economy.
Report: Colorado’s Oil and Natural Gas Industry
This graphical analysis reviews the status of Colorado’s oil and gas industry including production, drilling activity, tax policy, its role in Colorado’s economy.
Unconventional Oil and North Dakota Communities: State Fiscal Policy Unprepared for Impacts of Energy Development
This report analyzes the growing infrastructure and services needs of the Bakken boom and meeting the demands of unconventional energy development.
Report: The Status of Utah’s Oil and Gas Industry
This graphical analysis shows that Utah’s oil and gas industry was recovering at the time of the report.
County Level Drilling Activity, 2001-2011
This report focuses on county-level details of drilling rig activity for the period 2001 to 2011 in the six Rocky Mountain oil and gas states of Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
Drilling Rig Activity Nears 20-Year High
A graphical analysis of oil and natural gas drilling in the United States which now has returned to pre-recession levels.
Fossil Fuel Extraction and Western Economies
This study analyzes the fossil fuel economy in five Rocky Mountain states—CO, MT, NM, UT, and WY—and how states and communities can maximize benefits and minimize the costs of energy development.
Oil Shale: 14 Unanswered Questions
This report summarizes research and policy documents, and provides a brief overview of the status of oil shale development in the U.S. West.
Development Timeline: Oil Shale Activities in Colorado and Utah
While a handful of companies reported being active in the field-testing of new technologies in 2009, only one company had announced plans to upscale to a prototype (semi-works scale) facility.
Energy Development and the Changing Economy of the West-report summary
This study examines how the West has changed, the rising importance of environmental amenities, and the relative role of energy development in the economy of western states.
Energy Revenue in the Intermountain West
This report examines the extent of energy reserves in the U.S. and on western public lands, and their scale in light of domestic production and consumption trends.
U.S. Energy Needs and the Role of Western Public Lands
This report discusses the supply-side orientation of U.S. energy policy, and reviews existing data that describe available reserves, pricing structures, and patterns of consumption and demand.
Fossil Fuel Extraction as a County Economic Development Strategy: Are Energy-Focusing Counties Benefiting?
This report examines fossil fuel extraction as an economic development strategy for rural Western counties and whether it has benefited counties in the long run.
Potential Impacts of Energy Development in New Mexico, with a Case Study of Otero County
This report analyzes the economic and fiscal contribution of the oil and natural gas industries in New Mexico along with a case study of proposed energy development on Otero Mesa.
Oil Shale Library: Getting Started in Publicly Available Sources
For those wishing to dig deeper into the current politics and economics of oil shale, Headwaters Economics recommends the following sources.