Fractious Citizens: Sociological Perspectives on the Hydraulic Fracturing Controversy

This presentation discusses the contributions of sociologists and other social scientists to understanding recent conflicts surrounding natural gas drilling activity in the United States. The presentation will also report on an ongoing collaboration between engineers and social scientists that aims to deal with water treatment issues associated with gas drilling.

In the past several years, oil and gas companies have been pursuing sources of natural gas in the United States that were previously considered too difficult and costly to access. The technologies used to drill for these “unconventional” sources of gas have become enormously controversial —particularly a technique called hydraulic fracturing, which creates large quantities of waste water containing hazardous materials. Much of the debate about hydraulic fracturing has focused on the environmental or health hazards it might pose, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency has begun an ambitious study to investigate this topic.

However, concerns about unconventional gas drilling are not limited to the domain of natural and physical scientists; indeed, social, economic, and cultural issues are at the heart of these conflicts. For example, the public is dependent on regulatory agencies to document environmental contamination resulting from natural gas drilling and to provide pertinent risk information, yet, for a range of historical and political reasons, public agencies often fail to produce knowledge that satisfies public demand. Furthermore, as in many other environmental controversies, what divides people is not necessarily their understanding of the science of gas drilling, but rather their divergent values and visions of community progress. For instance, interviews with rural Pennsylvania residents have revealed significant worry about the loss of peace and tranquility, heavy truck traffic and road accidents, the influx of gas workers from out of state, and skyrocketing housing costs.

Our energy future depends not only on resolving the technical challenges related to energy production, but also recognizing and addressing the social dimensions of these issues. Interdisciplinary, collaborative research is one potential way forward. Participatory decision-making about energy policy and environmental governance is another potential strategy, and further innovation in this area should be a high priority.