Original research article
What do outdoor recreationists think of fracking? Politics, ideology, and perceptions of shale gas energy development in Pennsylvania State Forests

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.101384Get rights and content

Abstract

This study examined the influence of political ideology and perceptions of benefits and risks upon State Forest recreationists’ support and opposition towards shale natural gas energy development (SGD) on public and private lands in Pennsylvania. Much of the ongoing and proposed Pennsylvania SGD infrastructure is either within or adjacent to public lands, waters, and protected areas, raising concerns about the potential environmental and social impacts upon recreation stakeholders. On-site face-to-face survey interviews were used to gather data from Pennsylvania State Forest recreationists from June to September of 2018 (n = 392). The predominantly local, educated, experienced, and politically moderate sample in this study demonstrated relatively low levels of support towards SGD on Pennsylvania public lands and relatively neutral stances towards support for SGD on private lands in Pennsylvania. Structural equation modeling results suggested that political ideology and perceptions of risks were significant predictors of support for SGD on both public and private lands in Pennsylvania. The relationship between political ideology and support for SGD on public and private lands was also partially mediated through the perceived risk of SGD in the model. Study findings contributed to previous research suggesting political attitudes may influence and supersede other factors when predicting support for SGD. A series of one-way analyses of variance further explored differences by political ideology in this study. In each of these analyses, a similar statistical trend prevailed. Those identifying themselves as conservative were significantly more likely than their moderate and liberal counterparts to support SGD on both public and private lands in Pennsylvania and perceive fewer risks from SGD on Pennsylvania State Forests. This research lent itself to the theory of landscape fit and construal level theory as State Forest recreationists may have perceived the ‘fit’ of SGD negatively and could have construed SGD abstractly, lending themselves to political ideology. From a policy and management standpoint, study findings highlight the importance of assessing and communicating State Forest recreationists’ perceptions and subsequent opinions when planning, developing, and managing SGD and related decisions in the United States.

Introduction

Shale natural gas energy development (SGD) is the largest and most viable domestic energy sector in the United States [1]. Fueling this recent SGD boom is the combination of rising energy prices, large-scale capital investments, and cost-effective technological advances in unconventional hydraulic fracturing methods [2], [3], [4]. Unconventional hydraulic fracturing (commonly referred to as ‘fracking’) utilizes the high-pressure injection of water, sand, and chemicals into a wellbore to create cracks and fissures in deep-rock formations where natural gas and oil can flow more freely to the surface for collection [5,6]. The combined technological and geopolitical advances in SGD have allowed the United States to become the world's largest producer of natural gas, with Texas and Pennsylvania leading domestic production [3,6,7]. Pennsylvania has largely led domestic SGD production, with more than 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas produced since 2005 [1]. A significant portion of this SGD production takes place ether within or adjacent to Pennsylvania State Forest lands [8,9].

This study examined State Forest recreationists’ support and opposition towards SGD on both public and private lands in Pennsylvania. Outdoor recreation is an increasingly critical component of the Pennsylvania economy, generating $29.1 billion in annual consumer spending, $1.9 billion in state and local tax revenue, and employing more than three times as many individuals in Pennsylvania as the SGD industry in 2017 [10,11]. Pennsylvania lawmakers, natural resource managers, and SGD industry representatives must recognize and embrace State Forest recreationists as important and legitimate stakeholders within the SGD process due to their potential first-hand interaction with this form of energy development in Pennsylvania and around the world. This study found low levels of support towards SGD on public lands and relatively neutral stances towards support for SGD on private lands in Pennsylvania. Moreover, study respondents perceived limited benefits and limited risks towards SGD on Pennsylvania State Forests. This study highlights the perceived influence of SGD and political ideology upon State Forest recreationists as well as the importance of assessing and communicating recreationists’ perceptions of SGD on public land private lands in the United States.

Section snippets

Shale natural gas energy development

The Marcellus Shale is one of the largest shale gas ‘plays’ in the world, spanning 34 million acres and containing approximately 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas [2,3]. The Marcellus Shale is a geological formation containing substantial natural gas deposits below sections of five Northeastern states: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, and New York [2]. Within the Marcellus Shale region, the rapid development and expansion of natural gas extraction is largely attributed to the

Study context – Pennsylvania State Forests

The state of Pennsylvania manages a substantial number of public lands and protected areas that provide abundant outdoor recreation opportunities and access. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources-Bureau of Forestry (DCNR-BOF) manages a majority of these public-protected areas, presiding over 20 State Forest units encompassing approximately 2.2 million acres of forestland [8]. The Pennsylvania DCNR-BOF manages this forestland system under the guidance of the State

Results

All data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 and AMOS version 24.0. To address research question R1, frequencies, valid percentages, and measure of central tendency were used. To address research question R2, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the relationship between benefits, risks, political ideology, and support for SGD on public and private lands. Finally, to address research question R3, analysis of variance (ANOVA)

Discussion

SGD has rapidly expanded in the United States for various technological, economic, and geopolitical reasons, with production expected to more than double by 2050 [7]. This study examined the influence of political ideology and perceptions of benefits and risks upon State Forest recreationists’ support and opposition towards SGD on public and private lands in Pennsylvania. The predominantly local, educated, experienced, and politically moderate sample in this study exhibited low levels of

Conclusion

The results of this study suggested relatively low support for SGD on Pennsylvania public lands among State Forest recreationists. However, when integrating political ideology, study results found that State Forest recreationists identifying themselves as conservative were significantly more likely than their moderate and liberal counterparts to support SGD on Pennsylvania public lands. Political ideology proved to be a robust variable in the study and surpassed perceived risk when predicting

Declaration of Competing Interest

None.

Acknowledgments

All study design, data collection, analyses, interpretation, and decisions to submit this article for publication were made by The University of New Hampshire Department of Recreation Management and Policy and The Pennsylvania State University Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Management. Funding for this research was supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Grant no. 4400015622). The cooperation provided by the Pennsylvania Department of

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