Vol. 54, No.1 , Spring/Summer 2016 - "Fracking and the New Geography of Energy"
THE MARCELLUS SHALE FRACKING CONTROVERSY: BASELINE WATER RESOURCES DATA ARE NEEDED
(pp. 2 - 18)
Joseph T. Zume and Kelsey Kilhoffer
Department of Geography and Earth Science
Shippensburg University
Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Since 2005, drilling for natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation of Pennsylvania has intensified, owing to the successful implementation of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”). However, the use of fracking technology has elicited a public outcry, regarding its perceived detrimental effects on the environment, particularly on water resources. Practically, however, the exact impacts of fracking on water resources are still poorly understood. Whereas some investigators have attempted to link fracking with water resources contamination, the oil and gas industry is dismissive of such investigators for their failure to premise results on baseline water data that would otherwise validate their findings. Indeed, the need for baseline water resources data is critical, not just for establishing impacts of fracking alone, but to also ensure that changes in water quality, or quantity, from any source, are detected in a timely manner and addressed. This paper aims to make a case for more purposeful baseline water data collection over the Marcellus Shale formation and for synthesizing any existing data into, possibly, a single database for ease of access by prospective researchers. Availability of baseline data in a single database would greatly facilitate water resources studies of all magnitudes including the evaluation of fracking impacts on water resources.
(pp. 19 - 40)
Sudeshna Ghosh
Department of Geography and Regional Planning
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Rapid growth of natural gas drilling from Marcellus Shale since 2005 led to possibilities of boom-town emergence in rural Pennsylvania. Historically, many small towns and rural communities in Pennsylvania that depended on natural resource extraction, such as coal and gas, have been vulnerable to cycles of economic and population growth and decline. The recent proliferations of Marcellus Shale wells and related economic activities are expected to have significant local growth and development impacts. In this paper, I examine the impacts of fracking activities on the housing sale value changes in Greene County, PA. I apply repeat sale analysis and spatial statistical analysis to evaluate the temporal and spatial patterns of sale value changes in Greene County. The findings show that mean housing sale values have increased in Greene County since 2005, and these changes are spatially clustered around the relatively larger towns. The rural areas associated with intense extraction activities did not witness significant changes in housing sale values, which implies the need for local policies to stimulate long-term community development benefits and reduce the challenges of risks associated with future bust cycles.
EXTREME TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION TRENDS IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
(pp. 41 - 61)
Michael A. Davis, Kaleigh M. Cunningham, and Kaili A. Soisson
Department of Geography
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Abstract
As climatologists become increasingly confident regarding the effects of anthropogenic sources on the Earth climate system, Pennsylvania will cope with a changing climate. This study aims to statistically assess the vulnerability to extreme seasonal temperature and precipitation days across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Using slope values from linear regressions, principal component analyses, and Pearson correlations, valuable climate relationships can be evaluated and assessments can be made regarding the vulnerability of the unique climate regions of Pennsylvania. Results from the principal component study show that Pennsylvania has a general three climate regimes: western, Appalachian, and eastern. Sub-regimes such as the Poconos and southwestern Pennsylvania emerge as drivers in determining climatic based on orography of the Appalachian ridge and valley network. In addition to identification of major climate regions, trends in heavy precipitation days and extreme temperature days are discussed based on additional statistical tests.
(pp. 62 - 86)
Richard S. Courtney
Department of Geography
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Common descriptive statistics relating to data variability or dispersion may be used in studies of spatial segregation or temporal isolation, but the results may be misleading. Absolute measures of variability (e.g., range, IQR, variance and standard deviation) suffer from influences exerted by data units and magnitude often making comparisons misleading and inappropriate. As a relative measure of dispersion, the coefficient of variation (CV) solves both the data unit and observation magnitude issues, but it is shown to be influenced by numbers of observational units which may cause comparisons of variability to be problematic. This drawback is addressed as we logically derive a scaled version of the CV called the spatial segregation index (SSI) and show that it is always interpreted in terms of maximum variability or maximum segregation\isolation. Finally, the usefulness of the SSI is demonstrated in an example each of measuring and comparing spatial segregation and temporal isolation.
COMPETING PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL ENERGY: FROM WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA TO EASTERN EUROPE
(pp. 87 - 106)
Sean M. Buckley JD & MBA Program
Julia C. Fadul MBA
Masters in Civil Engineering Program
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Shale gas has created a potential for an economic boom and political friction in three vastly different locations in the world. The United States, Russia, and Bulgaria have varying laws and regulations leading to differing economic impacts in each country. These laws and regulations have stemmed from the countries’ history and how private property was viewed generations prior. Likewise, the economic impact has varying degrees of importance to the national governments income leading to varying degrees of national security concerns. The view held by each of these countries on property rights and the sources of government resources (money and otherwise) are shaping how actors understand issues of safety and economic necessity of natural gas.