Small, Local Governments and Their Management of Hydraulic Fracturing

Small, local governments are often considered “low capacity” when it comes to environmental management. This article examines how local government officials in 26 municipalities in Pennsylvania have managed high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF or “fracking”). The data show that the perception of the “problems” related to HVHF and perceived resident expectations for if and how local governments should respond to these problems vary by municipality with clear differences between municipalities with zoning and those without zoning. With the exception of one municipality with the unique circumstance of having both active natural gas and coal extraction occurring, all municipalities believed they had adequate capacity to manage the problems associated with HVHF. This result shows the importance of local responses to local problems and calls into question whether capacity-building efforts are necessary in low capacity municipalities.