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.
Energy
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.
North Dakota Not Returning Adequate Oil Revenue to Local Governments
This report compares how North Dakota provides local governments with production tax revenue from unconventional oil extraction compared to other major energy-producing states.
Wyoming Oil Taxes: Highest Rate, Large Savings Compared to Other States
This report compares how Wyoming provides local governments with production tax revenue from unconventional fossil fuel extraction compared to other major energy-producing states.
Local Governmments in New Mexico Receive Lowest Share of Oil Revenue
This report compares how New Mexico provides local governments with production tax revenue from unconventional fossil fuel extraction compared to other major energy-producing states.
Colorado Lags Other States in Taxing Oil, Incentives Increase Volatility
This report compares how Colorado provides local governments with production tax revenue from unconventional fossil fuel extraction compared to other major energy-producing states.
Montana Oil Tax Policy: No Long-Term Savings, Exposure to Volatility
This report compares how Montana provides local governments with production tax revenue from unconventional fossil fuel extraction compared to other major energy-producing states.
Oklahoma on Oil: Big Tax Breaks and Low Returns to Local Governments
This report compares how Oklahoma provides local governments with production tax revenue from unconventional fossil fuel extraction compared to other major energy-producing states.
Texas Oil Policy: Low Taxes, No Permanent Savings to Offset Volatility
This report compares how Texas provides local governments with production tax revenue from unconventional fossil fuel extraction compared to other major energy-producing states.
Long-Term Energy Development Has Negative Impacts on Western Counties
This paper demonstrates that when fossil fuel development plays a prominent, long-term role in local western economies there are negative effects on per capita income, crime rates, and educational attainment.
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.
The Proposed SunZia Transmission Line: A Guide for Decision Makers
This report analyzes the proposed SunZia transmission line, finding that the project, as currently configured, depends on its ability to export renewable energy from New Mexico to markets in Arizona and California.
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.
Green Jobs Metrics
This research summary offers an overview of efforts to quantify the national green economy in terms of job creation from several perspectives.
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.
Clean Energy Transmission
Headwaters Economics analyzed transmission infrastructure issues from the perspective of regional economic development, and other topics most relevant to local and state decision makers.
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.