Oil and natural gas development can be an important source of local jobs, but often comes with tradeoffs such as impacts to the environment and economic volatility. Balancing these impacts is critical for states and communities that want to benefit from energy extraction.
— Compare the effectiveness of states’ oil and natural gas tax policies to see which states ensure that tax revenue is available in the right amount, time, and location to manage drilling-related increases in the local demand for services. See which states invest in long-term infrastructure and economic diversification.
read moreof What Do Local Governments Receive from Oil and Gas Production Taxes?
— 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.
read moreof Outcomes of Higher Federal Coal and Natural Gas Royalty Rates
— 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.
read moreof Unconventional Oil and Gas Revenues to Local Governments
— 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.
read moreof Falling Oil Prices: Good for the U.S. Economy, Bad for Shale Communities?
— 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.
read moreof How Is Fracking Shaping Your Community and Economy?
— 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.
read moreof Fiscal Lessons for State and Local Governments
— 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.
read moreof Report: New Mexico’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.
read moreof Report: Colorado’s Oil and Natural Gas Industry
— This report analyzes the growing infrastructure and services needs of the Bakken boom and meeting the demands of unconventional energy development.
read moreof Unconventional Oil and North Dakota Communities: State Fiscal Policy Unprepared for Impacts of Energy Development
— Measuring Total Rig Weeks and Changes in Rig Weeks by County
read moreof Oil and Gas Drilling: Rig Weeks Activity 2001 – 2011
— This graphical analysis shows that Utah's oil and gas industry was recovering at the time of the report.
read moreof Report: The Status of Utah’s Oil and Gas Industry
— 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.
read moreof County Level Drilling Activity, 2001-2011
— A graphical analysis of oil and natural gas drilling in the United States which now has returned to pre-recession levels.
read moreof Drilling Rig Activity Nears 20-Year High
— 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.
read moreof Fossil Fuel Extraction and Western Economies
— This report summarizes research and policy documents, and provides a brief overview of the status of oil shale development in the U.S. West.
read moreof Oil Shale: 14 Unanswered Questions
— 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.
read moreof Development Timeline: Oil Shale Activities in Colorado and Utah
— 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.
read moreof Energy Development and the Changing Economy of the West-report summary
— 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.
read moreof Energy Revenue in the Intermountain West
— 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.
read moreof U.S. Energy Needs and the Role of Western Public Lands
— 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.
read moreof Fossil Fuel Extraction as a County Economic Development Strategy: Are Energy-Focusing Counties Benefiting?
— 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.
read moreof Potential Impacts of Energy Development in New Mexico, with a Case Study of Otero County— For those wishing to dig deeper into the current politics and economics of oil shale, Headwaters Economics recommends the following sources.
read moreof Oil Shale Library: Getting Started in Publicly Available Sources
— This report focuses on the economic and fiscal contributions of the oil and natural gas industries in Montana, including a case study of the Powder River Basin.
read moreof Potential Impacts of Energy Development in Montana, with a Case Study of the Powder River Basin— This report studies the significance of fossil fuel development in Wyoming, with a case study of the energy-focused county of Sweetwater County.
read moreof Impacts of Energy Development in Wyoming, with a Case Study of Sweetwater County— This report explores the significance of fossil fuel energy development for Colorado with a case study of the implications for the West Slope economy.
read moreof Impacts of Energy Development in Colorado, with a Case Study of Mesa and Garfield Counties