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Shale Gas Development and Drinking Water Quality

Author

Listed:
  • Elaine Hill
  • Lala Ma

Abstract

Recent studies have linked shale gas development (SGD) to ground water contamination. The extent of these environmental externalities, to date, remains uncertain. To address this gap, we examine whether shale gas development systematically affects drinking water quality by creating a novel dataset that relates SGD to public drinking water samples in Pennsylvania. Our difference-in-differences strategy finds evidence that additional well pads drilled within 1 kilometer of a community water system intake increases shale gas-related contaminants in drinking water. These results are striking considering that our data are based on water sampling measurements taken after municipal treatment.

Suggested Citation

  • Elaine Hill & Lala Ma, 2017. "Shale Gas Development and Drinking Water Quality," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(5), pages 522-525, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:107:y:2017:i:5:p:522-25
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20171133
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Max Harleman, 2023. "Compensating communities for industrial disamenities: The case of shale gas development," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 61(1), pages 10-34, January.
    2. Dong, Xiao & Klaiber, Allen & Gopalakrishnan, Sathya & Wrenn, Douglas H., 2018. "Silence of Falling Trees: Hidden Forest Loss from Shale Gas Development," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274446, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Boslett, Andrew & Hill, Elaine & Ma, Lala & Zhang, Lujia, 2021. "Rural light pollution from shale gas development and associated sleep and subjective well-being," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    4. Hill, Elaine L. & Ma, Lala, 2022. "Drinking water, fracking, and infant health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    5. Black, Katie Jo & McCoy, Shawn J. & Weber, Jeremy G., 2019. "Fracking and indoor radon: Spurious correlation or cause for concern?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 255-273.
    6. Winikoff, Justin B. & Maguire, Karen, 2024. "The Role of Commercial Energy Payments in Agricultural Producer Income," Economic Information Bulletin 342468, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    7. Timmins, Christopher & Vissing, Ashley, 2022. "Environmental justice and Coasian bargaining: The role of race, ethnicity, and income in lease negotiations for shale gas," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    8. Siu, Wai Yan & Akhundjanov, Sherzod B., 2020. "Fracking Boom and Agricultural Doom: Evidence from Kern County, California," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304255, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    9. Boslett, Andrew & Hill, Elaine, 2022. "Mortality during resource booms and busts," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    10. Ericson, Sean J. & Kaffine, Daniel T. & Maniloff, Peter, 2020. "Costs of increasing oil and gas setbacks are initially modest but rise sharply," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    11. Hill, Elaine L., 2018. "Shale gas development and infant health: Evidence from Pennsylvania," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 134-150.
    12. Max Harleman & Pramod Manohar & Elaine L. Hill, 2022. "Negotiations of Oil and Gas Auxiliary Lease Clauses: Evidence from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale," NBER Working Papers 30806, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Fletcher, Jason & Noghanibehambari, Hamid, 2024. "The siren song of cicadas: Early-life pesticide exposure and later-life male mortality," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    14. Yao, Liuyang & Sui, Bo, 2020. "Heterogeneous preferences for shale water management: Evidence from a choice experiment in Fuling shale gas field, southwest China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    15. Muehlenbachs, Lucija & Staubli, Stefan & Chu, Ziyan, 2021. "The accident externality from trucking: Evidence from shale gas development," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • Q25 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Water
    • Q35 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Hydrocarbon Resources
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling

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