Boom & Bust

Symposium

The Impact of Energy Extraction on

Local Communities

November 12-13, 2012

Duquesne University Power Center

Pittsburgh, PA

Special Thanks to our Promotional Sponsors:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Greeting …………………………………………………………..2

Campus Map…………………………………………………….3

Conference Tracks…………………………………………….4

Schedule…………………………………………………………..5-8

Speaker Bios…………………………………………………….9

Abstracts………………………………………………………….16

GREETINGS

Welcome!

On Behalf of Duquesne University, Penn State University, and Washington &

Jefferson College we would like to welcome you to the first Boom and Bust

Symposium. This meeting was conceived as a working session which could

bring together policy makers, industry, and academia to develop a research

agenda studying the issues faced by local communities involve with the cyclic

nature of energy extraction particularly as it relates to the latest boom in shale

gas activity. Our committee was able to bring together leaders with expertise

in various aspects of local health, policy, and planning which resulted in this

conference and our interest in including the broader public.

Our working group realized that it is vital to begin the collection of objective

information regarding historical and present day influence of a local energy

economy. We also saw a need for dispersing that information so that

community leaders might have better models for planning during the boom and

can provide for the economic and infrastructure diversification necessary to

mitigate the downturn as the resource is depleted. We hope this gathering will

provide stimulus for research into the cyclic nature of limited resources and in

turn be the beginning of an objective understanding of its impact.

We hope you will gain insight into the nature of these issues and will be

stimulated to join us in our continuing efforts to understand how local

communities can be impacted by the cyclic nature of extractive industries.

Alan W. Seadler, Ph.D. Deno De Ciantis, Ed.D.

Associate Academic VP for Research Director Duquesne University The Penn State Center:

Engaging Pittsburgh

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Deno De Ciantis Alan Seadler

CAMPUS MAP

Duquesne University

Power Center, 5th Floor

Parking: Forbes Avenue Parking Garage

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CONFERENCE TRACKS

Aspects of Health and Extractive Industry Impact of energy production on local human health and safety Social disruption and health Psycho-social stress factors related to environmental changes

Emerging Issues in Education & Workforce Development

Training the workforce for boom and bust cycles and beyond Effects of extractive industries on youth education goals Educating the general public about extractive industries

Local Communities

Historical Perspectives on the impact of extractive energy Challenges in social equality Degrees of Social Disruption Impact of migration Impact of energy production on local human health

Local Economies

Dynamics of local and regional economies Unanticipated impact of local inflation Effect of economic dislocation Effect of labor dislocation The translation of economic and environmental issues into human

issues Historical Perspectives on the impact of extractive energy

Local and Regional Policy

An economic approach to state and local policy

Temporal nature of policy and economics

Data needs for local planning

Planning for change

Reconciling policy and activist groups Interactions of gas, water and

coal

Smart Cities/Regions decision making processes regarding cyclical

extractive industries

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SCHEDULE:

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

8:00-9:00 a REGISTRATION

9:00-9:20 WELCOME Ralph Pearson, Ph.D. Provost & Vice President of Academics, Duquesne University Alan Seadler, Ph.D. Associate Academic VP for Research, Duquesne University Deno De Ciantis, Ed.D. Director, The Penn State Center: Engaging Pittsburgh

9:20-10:15 “Perspectives on Natural Gas Booms and Energy Transitions in the Pittsburgh Region” Joel Tarr, Ph.D. Richard S. Caliguiri University Professor of History and Policy, Department of History, Carnegie Mellon University

10:15-10:30 BREAK

10:30-11:00 “Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Development as Seen Through the Lens of Public Schools in Pennsylvania” Kai A. Schafft, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Education, College of Education, The Pennsylvania State University; Director, Penn State Center on Rural Education and Communities, Penn State University

11:00-12:00 Local Economies & Aspects of Health Extractive Industries “The Meaning of Health Among Mid Appalachian Women Within the Context of the Environment” Lenore Resick, Ph.D., CRNP, FNP-BC, FAANP, Duquesne University Joyce Knestrick, Ph.D., CRNP, FAANP, Frontier University Mona M. Counts, Ph.D., CRNP, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, The Pennsylvania State University

“Sociopolitical Dynamics of Volunteer Watershed Monitoring in the Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Boom” Kirk Jalbert, Doctoral Student, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

12:00-1:15

1:00:-1:15

LUNCH and NETWORKING “Strategic Planning for Shale Oil and Gas Development” Joe Campbell Ph.D. Candidate, Rural Sociology Ohio State University

1:15-2:00 “The Energy Industry’s Impact on the Greater Pittsburgh Region” Ken Zapinski Senior Vice President, Energy & Infrastructure, Allegheny Conference on Community Development

2:15-3:15 Local Communities & Emerging Issues in Education & Workforce Development “Research Collaboration: The Opportunities, Challenges, and Necessities of Working as a Community of Scholars to Effectively Study Communities” Heather S. Feldhaus, Ph.D., *Session Chair Assistant Dean, College of Liberal Arts; Director, Center for Community Research and Consulting, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

“Advocacy Networks in the Marcellus Shale Area: A Study of Northeastern and Southwestern PA” Erin Pischke Master’s Student of Social & Public Policy, Duquesne University

3:30-4:30 “Boom for Corporations; Bust for Community Health” Barbara Sattler, RN, DrPH, FAAN Professor, MPH Program, University of San Francisco

4:30-5:30

NETWORKING RECEPTION

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SCHEDULE:

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

8:00-9:00 am 9:00

BREAKFAST WITH SPEAKER “The Public’s Health During Natural Gas Development: Is It Impacted by the Booms and Busts?” Jill Kriesky, Ph.D. Senior Program Coordinator, Center for Healthy Environments and Communities, Environmental and Occupational Health Department, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh

10:30-11:00 Local & Regional Policy / Aspects of Health and Extractive Industries "How the Marcellus Experience is Transforming Global Shale Gas Development" Kent Moors, Ph.D. Professor of Political Science, Duquesne University

11:00-11:15 BREAK

11:15-12:15 Local Economies & Emerging Issues “Strategic Planning for Shale Oil and Gas” Charles Abdalla, Ph.D. Professor of Agriculture & Environmental Economics, The Pennsylvania State University

“Migration and the Changing Demographic Composition of Boomtown Communities in PA’s Marcellus Region” Mike Irwin, Ph.D. Professor of Sociology, Duquesne University

12:15-1:30 pm 1:30-2:00

LUNCH WITH SPEAKER “ShaleNET: Creating a Multi-State Consortium to Meet the Demands of High Growth Industries” Byron Kohut, Ed.D. Director of Marcellus ShaleNET, Westmoreland County Community College

2:00-3:00 Community Resiliency and Local Policy Initiatives “Community Resiliency versus Boom/Bust Effects” Carl Milofsky, Ph.D. *Session Chair Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Bucknell University “Municipal Officials’ Decisions to Lease Watershed Lands for Marcellus Shale Gas Exploration” Renata Rimsaite Graduate Research Assistant/Ph.D. Candidate, The Pennsylvania State University

3:00-4:00 CAPSTONE SPEAKER: “Balancing Washington County Growth with Responsible Development” Diana Irey Vaughan Commissioner and Vice Chair, Washington County Board of Commissioners

4:00-5:30 STUDENT RECEPTION

Sponsored by Duquesne University Graduate Center

for Social & Public Policy

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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Heather Feldhaus, Ph.D. Bloomsburg University Dr. Heather Feldhaus is a sociologist currently serving at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania as Assistant Dean in the College of Liberal Arts and as Director of the Center for Community Research and Consulting.

Her research focuses on rural communities, local culture, community health, and the social construction of social problems. Most recently she has been working on studies of the community impact of Marcellus Shale development and a study of how services providers approach solutions to rural homelessness. She is also heavily involved in research collaboration with community groups and the use of applied research as a teaching tool for undergraduate education. Her recent work in this area includes work on blighted housing, the economic impact assessment of a regional arts events, and an assessment of resident perceptions of diversity in a small rural town.

Byron Kohut, Ed. D. Westmoreland County Community College Byron Kohut, Ed.D., is currently the director of Marcellus ShaleNET for Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC), Pennsylvania. He has been director of Marcellus ShaleNET since its inception in

2010. This program has helped thousands of individuals find employment in the booming natural gas industry in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In addition to managing ShaleNET, Dr. Kohut recently wrote and received a grant for ShaleNET US, an award in the amount of $15 million. The objective of ShaleNET US is to design and implement community college associate degree programs in petroleum technology. Prior to his two years as director of the ShaleNET program at WCCC, Dr. Kohut spent one year at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) designing a successful grant application focused in energy located at the CCAC West Hills Center. Dr. Kohut is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a Doctorate in Education.

Jill Kriesky, Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh Dr. Jill Kriesky joined the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh in August 2011. Her responsibilities include both research and community outreach on Marcellus Shale drilling for the Graduate School

and senior project coordinator responsibilities for the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC) in the Environmental and Occupational Health Department. Prior to this, Kriesky directed the Appalachian Institute and Service for Social Action Center at Wheeling Jesuit University where she developed service projects and experiential learning, research, and outreach opportunities on economic, environmental, and health issues. She also served as the director of West Virginia University's Service Learning and as the director of West Virginia Campus Compact. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from Grinnell College (IA), a master's degree in economics (WI), and a Ph.D. in economics (NH).

Carl Milofsky, Ph.D. Bucknell University

Carl Milofsky is Professor of Sociology at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. He was one of the original members of the Program on Nonprofit Organizations at Yale University, where he specialized in community-based

organizations. He edited the Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly from 1990-1996m he edited Community Organizations. Studies in Resource Mobilization and Exchange published (Oxford 1988), and with Ram Cnaan he edited The Handbook of Community Movements and Local Organizations (Springer 2006). He and Albert Hunter co-authored Pragmatic Liberalism. Constructing a Civil Society (Palgrave 2007) and in 2008 he authored Smallville. Institutionalizing Community in Small Town America (University Press of New England).

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Kent Moors, Ph.D. Duquesne University Kent Moors is Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy at Duquesne University, where he is also Scholar in Residence at the Institute for Energy and the

Environment. An internationally recognized expert in oil/gas policy, finance and risk assessment, Dr. Moors has advised seventeen world governments and has been a consultant toprivate companies, financial institutions, civic movements/organizations and law firms in 28 countries. He currently serves on the U.S. Department of State (DOS) task force providing oil policy advisories to developing nations worldwide and the DOS Global Shale Gas Initiative, providing advisory services on the policy implications from unconventional gas development.His over 950 professional/market publications and over 350private/public sector presentations and workshops have appeared in 44 countries. John Wiley & Sons released his The Vega Factor: Oil Volatility and the Next Global Crisis, in May 2011. He has recently completed his next volume - Crude Pressure: Oil, Sanctions, and the Crisis with Iran.

Barbara Sattler, Ph.D. University of San Francisco

Dr. Barbara Sattler is a Professor at the University of San Francisco and a Board member of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments. (She recently left the

University of Maryland after 23 years of service.) She is on the Environmental Health Committee of the American Association of Colleges of Nurses and a member of the Environmental Health Expert Panel for the American Academy of Nurses. Dr. Sattler has engaged in NIH, HUD, and EPA research grants where community-based participation was a critical element. She has worked extensively with communities that have been challenged by environmental problems, including communities with Superfund and Brownfield sites, gas and oil spills, and other extensive soil-based exposures.

She has served on Institute of Medicine committees regarding environmental health information, co-authored the text Environmental Health and Nursing, and published a host of journal articles.

She has a Doctorate in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nurses. In the context of “fracking”, Dr. Sattler is an active member of the Fracking Committee of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE). She co-authored the new Energy Resolution passed by the American Nurses Association that calls for a nation-wide moratorium on all new fracking permits and encourages nurses’ engagement in energy policy discourse and advocacy. The Fracking Committee has been educating nurses from around the country about the perils of fracking to critical community-based infrastructures (health, housing, education, social services, safety, transportation) and the human and ecological health impacts.

Kai A. Schafft, Ph.D. Penn State University

Kai A. Schafft is an associate professor of education in the Department of Education Policy Studies at Penn State University. Trained as a rural sociologist, his work focuses on the relationship between rural school and community well-being, as well as rural poverty and social inequality. He directs the Center on Rural Education and Communities where he also edits the Journal of Research

in Rural Education. His book, Rural People & Communities: Resilience and Transformation, co-authored with David Brown, was published by Polity Press in 2011. The volume Rural Education for the Twenty-first Century: Identity, Place, and Community in a Globalizing World, co-edited with Alecia Jackson, was published by Penn State Press in 2010. He is currently taking part in research funded through the Center for Rural Pennsylvania that examines the multiple community impacts of Marcellus development in Bradford, Lycoming, Washington and Greene Counties in Pennsylvania.

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Joel A. Tarr, Ph.D. Carnegie Mellon University

Joel A. Tarr is the Richard S. Caliguiri University Professor of History and Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his B.S. and M.A. degrees from Rutgers University (1956, 1957) and his Ph.D. in American History at Northwestern University (1963). He has been a member of the Carnegie Mellon University faculty since 1967. He is the recipient of Carnegie Mellon University's 1992 Robert

Doherty Prize for "substantial and sustained contributions to excellence in education." In 2008, the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) awarded him its Leonardo da Vinci Medal for contributions to the field of the history of Technology. His main interests are in urban infrastructure and the history of the urban environment. He has published extensively in these areas including: The Impact of Transportation Innovation on Changing Spatial Patterns: Pittsburgh, 1850-1934 (1978); Technology and the Rise of the Networked City in Europe and America (co-editor, with Gabriel Dupuy, 1988); The Search for the Ultimate Sink: Urban Pollution in Historical Perspective (1996); Devastation and Renewal: An Environmental History of Pittsburgh and Its Region (editor, 2003); and, The Horse in the City: Living Machines in the 19th Century (co-author, with Clay McShane, 2007). His articles have appeared in many collections and journals, He has been the recipient of fellowships and grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Park Service, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. He has been a member of National Research Council and Office of Technology Assessment committees concerned with urban infrastructure and environmental pollution issues. His current research is focusing on the history and impacts of natural gas development in South Western Pennsylvania.

Diana Irey Vaughan, Commissioner Washington County Board of Commissioners

Diana Irey Vaughan, elected in 1995, is the only woman to have ever been elected as a Washington County Commissioner. She is now serving her fifth term of office. Among her accomplishments as a County Commissioner, Diana balanced seven consecutive budgets with no tax increase; said no to cable TV for inmates; and put non-violent inmates to

work in the community, resulting in more than 210,000 hours of community service. Diana is a leader in economic development in southwestern Pennsylvania. Washington County was recently ranked third in the nation for job growth by the U.S. Department of Labor. Diana created a public-private partnership with the Washington County Chamber of Commerce to develop a “one-stop shop” creating a unified delivery system for economic development efforts, and she played a key role in the development of Southpointe I and II, Starpointe, California Technology Park, and Skypointe (aviation-related) Industrial Park. Through her insistence on long-range planning, a low tax rate, and cooperation with the Workforce Investment Board, Diana fostered an environment that brought 6,000 new jobs to Washington County.

Diana has served on numerous economic and community boards, including Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, Southwestern Pennsylvania Growth Alliance, and Port of Pittsburgh Commission. She was twice co-chair of Washington County’s Heart Walk and the walk for March of Dimes, a past board member for the American Cancer Society in Washington County, and past president of the Mon Valley United Way. Diana currently sits on the board of directors for the Washington County United Way.

Diana was named one of the top “60 Pittsburghers of the Year” by Pittsburgh Magazine, is a member of the NRA, and is consistently endorsed by People Concerned for the Unborn Child and Firearms Owners Against Crime. She is a past distinguished ethics speaker for the Beard Institute at Duquesne University.

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Diana is a proud mother of three children: Victoria (22), Frank (21), and Alexandra (18). She is married to LTC Robert Vaughan who is just returned home from serving in Afghanistan, which was his 5th mobilization with the US Army.

Ken Zapinski Allegheny Conference on Community Development

Ken Zapinski manages the Allegheny Conference’s energy initiatives as well as its Transportation & Infrastructure program. He helps manage the Energy Alliance of Greater Pittsburgh, a partnership of

corporations, universities, nonprofit organizations, and others with the mission of increasing the scale of the region’s energy industry while continuing to advance Greater Pittsburgh’s global leadership in improving the environment.

He joined the Conference in 2001 after a brief stint in the tech industry. Prior to that, he spent 15 years as writer, editor, and web site producer for newspapers including the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (where he covered Pennsylvania’s natural gas and electricity deregulation efforts), The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, the St. Petersburg Times, and The New York Times, covering areas including transportation, economic development, land-use planning, and technology. He has a journalism degree from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

ABSTRACTS: TRACK PRESENTATIONS

Name:

Charles Abdalla, Ph.D.

Position:

Professor

Institution:

Penn State University

Contributing Authors:

Caitlyn Edmundson, former graduate assistant in Agricultural

Economics, Penn State UniversityAllen Klaiber, Ph.D. Assistant Professor

of Environmental Economics, Ohio State University

Title:

Strategic Planning for Shale Oil and Gas Development

Abstract:

As shale gas drilling in parts of Pennsylvania and nearby states with the

Marcellus rock formation has moved forward, wastewater disposal has

come to the forefront as a key environmental, health and economic issue

for communities and the natural gas industry. For example, the

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection established more

stringent total dissolved solids regulations in 2010. These rules

effectively prohibited the discharge of wastewater into the state’s

surface waters. In April 2011, this regulatory agency requested that

drilling operators cease sending wastewater to municipal sewage

treatment plants. These public policy changes have increased

Pennsylvania’s drilling operators’ use of underground injection wells,

particularly those wells located in Ohio as a wastewater disposal

method, and increased recycling and reuse of wastewater.

This study sought to determine the most important factors that a shale gas drilling operator considers in its choice of a disposal method for Marcellus shale wastewater. Factors that were considered in the analysis included the wastewater disposal method’s price, distance, size, competition, distance to the nearest large city, and river basin location. Using publically available data from state and federal agencies, a model was statistically estimated and used to calculate the marginal effects of each of these variables.

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The resulting coefficients were used to predict the probabilities that a brine or industrial waste treatment plant, an underground injection well, or recycling and reuse, will be the disposal method preferred by the drilling operator. The implications of the study’s findings will be discussed by considering three possible future scenarios: a business-as-usual scenario, a scenario in which there is a long-term cessation in permitting underground injection wells in parts of northeast Ohio due to seismic activity concerns, and a scenario in which Pennsylvania takes primacy of its underground injection well disposal program. Policy implications and future research recommendations will also be presented.

Name:

Joe Campbell

Position:

PhD Candidate, Rural Sociology

Institution:

Ohio State University

Title:

Strategic Planning for Shale Oil and Gas Development

Abstract:

Jefferson County was one of the first counties in Ohio to experience

shale-based oil and gas development. As leasing, permitting, and drilling

activity expanded rapidly in 2011, leaders from across the county came

together to discuss the critical issues facing various community sectors.

Ohio Senate Bill 315, which sets the regulatory framework for shale-

based oil and gas development, provides permitting and other

regulatory activities at the state-level and limits local government

involvement. However, this presentation summarizes efforts taken by

community leaders to engage in strategic planning around issues

brought during the first years of shale oil and gas development and the

impacts this had on a community s readiness and potentially their ability

to diversify the positive impacts of the supposed boom of oil and gas

development and mitigate the potential for future busts within their

communities. It shares lessons learned from the planning efforts

undertaken within Jefferson County, Ohio and provides

recommendations to county governments and other local leaders

experiencing, or soon to experience, the early stages of oil and gas

development in the Marcellus and Utica/Point Pleasant Shale plays in

Ohio. The research is based on interviews conducted in spring 2012 with

Jefferson County residents including elected county, city, and township

officials, local government agency representatives, business and

community leaders, and citizens at-large, in addition to an analysis of

over 60 documents related to oil and gas development and planning

initiatives within the county. In late 2009 the first horizontal well

permits in the county were approved and drilling activities began in fall

2011.

Name:

Michael Irwin, PhD

Position:

Associate Professor

Institution:

Duquesne University

Title:

Migration and the Changing Demographic Composition of Boomtown

Communities in PA's Marcellus Region

Abstract:

A decade ago technological innovations in drilling were developed in the

Texan Barnett Shale region that opened up previously inaccessible

sources of natural gas. By the late 2000 s increased demand for natural

gas, coupled with these hydro-fracturing techniques, fueled an explosion

in exploration and drilling in rural Pennsylvania by these Texas

companies. Pennsylvania s rural communities celebrated this boom as

an economic savior in an otherwise declining rural economy. However,

with few local workers skilled in drilling, much of the labor for this boom

was imported from the Texas fields. This influx of new-comers into

these small, socially integrated communities of often life-long rural

residents is demographically transformative. While anecdotal accounts

have long held the in-migration of temporary labor has impacted many

areas, it is far from clear how widespread this impact may be. This

analysis describes and evaluates the impact of this migration on rural

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Pennsylvania communities, using American Community Survey 2006-

2010 data on over 1100 Census tracts within the Marcellus region. With

fracking wells first introduced in Pennsylvania in 2004, the ACS period

data cover the beginnings of this impact. Specifically, this research 1)

uses geo-coded information on wells and permits to determine which

Census tracts are most affected by these sites, 2) assesses differences in

in-migration between tracts where drilling has occurred and other tracts

in the Marcellus region, and 3) evaluates changes in the social and

demographic character of those communities affected by Marcellus

activity and in-migration. Results describe the scope, degree, and

character demographic changes associated with the Marcellus boom.

Name:

Kirk Jalbert

Position:

Doctoral Student

Institution:

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Contributing Authors:

Abby Kinchy, Ph.D.; Simona Perry, Ph.D.

Title:

Sociopolitical Dynamics of Volunteer Watershed Monitoring in the

Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Boom

Abstract:

In the midst of the Marcellus Shale gas boom, rural communities are not

only responding to economic and social changes, but they are also

reacting to the inadequacies of regulatory agencies tasked with

managing the environmental impacts of unconventional gas extraction.

An example of this is seen in the groundswell of volunteer watershed

monitoring emerging across Pennsylvania and New York to fill scientific

knowledge gaps not addressed by public institutions. These volunteer

groups engage social issues and geographic locations beyond the reach

of existing monitoring programs by crossing institutional boundaries,

accessing scattered resources, and applying local knowledge to identify

threats to communities. Drawing on surveys and fieldwork conducted in

an ongoing 2-year study, this presentation examines why volunteer

monitoring groups mobilize, where they receive training and resources,

as well as how scientific data is being reported and used by these groups.

Communities engaged in volunteer watershed monitoring face many

challenges. Representatives from capacity-building organizations who

support these groups state it can be difficult to sustain volunteer interest

after initial training. While groups often find seed money for startup

costs, obtaining resources for long-term operation can be difficult.

Meanwhile, the task of managing monitoring programs often falls on the

shoulders of a small number of dedicated volunteers. Monitoring gas

extraction impacts on water quality also requires extensive recording of

field notes, calibration of equipment, and proper handling of data to

ensure quality control. Findings show that groups achieve varying

degrees of training and resources based on what level of science

capacity-building organizations believe volunteers are capable of

performing, but also in recognizing what kinds of data regulatory

agencies are likely to respond to.

Understanding these groups and their variations provides insight into

how volunteer water monitoring is proliferating across the Marcellus

Shale region. It furthermore enables comparisons between emerging

volunteer monitoring programs and existing programs managed by

regulatory agencies. Many environmental scientists agree that collecting

long-term water quality data is critical for determining the impacts of

unconventional natural gas development. Given the trend of contracting

resources in public institutions, contributions by volunteer groups may

prove essential to understanding these impacts.

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Name:

Erin Pischke, Master's of Social and Public Policy

Position:

Student

Institution:

Duquesne University

Contributing Authors:

Dr. Michael Irwin

Title:

Advocacy Networks in the Marcellus Shale Area: A Study of Northeastern

and Southwestern PA

Abstract:

Our paper examines grassroots-level environmental advocacy in the

Marcellus Shale region where fracking occurs in northeastern and

southwestern Pennsylvania. The research conducts a network analysis

of organizational ties that depict associations among organizations and

will be a social resource for environmental organizations. It also

confronts the wide gap between the amount of financial resources gas

companies have at their disposal to defend their industry and the limited

resources environmental organizations, sportsmen-oriented

conservation groups and conservation districts have to protect

themselves.

We used online questionnaires to gather data specific to organizations

activities and resource use on Marcellus Shale issues, as well as

interviews with organizations representatives to get a more nuanced

and detailed explanation for such activities. The paper outlines the

results of the quantitative and qualitative data as a way to formulate a

general picture of the environmental network, describe how it functions

and where it needs to be strengthened. The structure of advocacy

networks in each region of the state are compared in order to determine

how well these environmental organizations cover the places and

populations most affected by Marcellus activity. Our results will

demonstrate how advocacy networks have been formed in response to

Marcellus activities, show what resources are available through these

networks and identify where additional network connections are

required in order to benefit at-risk populations.

Name:

Lenore Resick, Phd, CRNP,FNP-BC, FAANP

Position:

Clinical Professor, Noble J Dick Endowed Chair

Institution:

Duquesne University School of Nursing

Contributing Authors:

Joyce Knestrick,PhD,CRNP, FAANP;Mona M

Counts,Phd,CRNP,FNAP,FAANP,FAAN;Lindsay K Pizzuto,BSN, RN

Title:

The Meaning of Health Among Mid Appalachian Women Within the

Context of the Environment

Abstract:

This phenomenological study sought to understand the meaning of

health among women living in mid Appalachia within the context of the

environment. Recently, the natural gas industry has significantly

increased operations in this region. No studies existed about the

experiences of residents of this region related to the environment and

health. The overarching theme was a sense of powerlessness over

changes related to the natural gas drilling industry in the community.

Powerlessness influenced the women s experience of health and affected

their immediate living space. The women described health as the ability

to function and the absence of disease. Two themes emerged,

powerlessness impacting health and powerlessness affecting the living

space. Powerlessness impacting health included changing the ability to

function, living with changes, emotional, mental and/or physical health,

and anticipating present and future unknowns. Powerlessness affecting

living space included living with overwhelming changes in the

environment, being forced from a generational way of life, and losing

trust in the community As extraction industries such as natural gas

drilling increase in operations locally, regionally, and globally,

environmental scientists and health care providers need to be aware of

the potential health impact of these changes to residents living near the

industrial sites.

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Name:

Renata Rimsaite, PhD

Position:

Graduate Research Assistant

Institution:

The Pennsylvania State University

Contributing Authors:

Charles Abdalla, Ph.D. and Bryan Swistock

Title:

Municipal Officials’ Decisions to Lease Watershed Lands for Marcellus

Shale Gas Exploration

Abstract:

This presentation provides results of a study investigating municipality

authorities’ decisions to lease watershed lands for rapidly expanding

Marcellus shale gas exploration in Pennsylvania. The study’s focus was

on: municipal officials’ motivations to lease subsurface mineral rights;

their knowledge of expected potential benefits and environmental

risks/costs, including potential public drinking water supply

contamination, of leasing; and the decision-making processes used for

balancing potential benefits and risks/costs. The data was collected

through personal interviews conducted in 2012 with officials

representing eight Pennsylvania municipalities.

Municipalities’ decisions to lease watershed lands were found to be

influenced by: when they were approached about leasing; what was

learned from their or other municipalities’ past experiences,

communications with other parties, their resources and networking,

water monitoring actions and plans, and ability to balance the goals of

providing safe affordable water with the desire for leasing revenues.

Municipal officials offered lessons from their experiences to other

communities that consider leasing of watershed lands for shale gas

exploration.

Study recommendations included: municipal officials should provide

timely information to citizens in advance of decisions; resources should

be increased for public education and participation; increased efforts

should be directed toward networking among municipalities, staff

training, and water protection plan development; government agencies

and other organizations should increase funding of water quality

baseline studies; and municipalities should include the full cost of water

monitoring in leases and consider other actions to ensure their original

mission to provide safe affordable water to their customers is met.

This research was supported by the Pennsylvania Water Resources

Research Institute located at the Pennsylvania State University. The

Institute is funded by U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Interior.

Name: Kai Schafft, PhD Position: Associate Professor Institution: Penn State University Contributing Authors: Kristin Babbie, Kathryn Brasier, Lisa Davis, Leland Glenna, Diane McLaughlin, Danielle Rhubart Title: Marcellus Shale Impacts Study: Chronicling Social and Economic Change in the SW and Northern Tier Abstract: Communities in the Marcellus region are experiencing economic, social, and demographic change. These changes may include substantial (but often temporary) economic and population growth. These changes can be especially welcome in places that have experienced long-term economic stagnation and out-migration. However, rapid growth also brings potential disruption of the existing social system. The research described in this poster combines longitudinal analysis to examine change by level and stage of development with in-depth analysis of the effects on specific institutions and populations within four case study counties: Bradford and Lycoming in the Northern Tier and Greene and Washington in in Southwest Pennsylvania. This poster describes the research justification and plan for the first wave of a potential three-wave study of change over time in the social and economic effects of Marcellus Shale development. Governor Corbett s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission published recommendations across several impact areas and urges relevant state agencies to create systems for monitoring impacts and sharing these data with stakeholders to improve

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planning, assessment, and mitigation. The results of this research will benefit state and local decision-makers, who need high-quality, unbiased information to inform design of appropriate policies and programs to monitor and address the opportunities and challenges associated with Marcellus Shale development. This emphasis on monitoring indicates the need for and importance of research to track and assess trends in key indicators across multiple sectors. The first wave of this research is funded by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a Legislative Agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

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