Landowners and the Marcellus Shale: Money, Perceptions of Community Life, and the Natural Gas Industry

Abstract

This paper explores the recent natural gas development in the northeastern Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania through interviews with landowners. Since 2007, the region has experienced both a boom and bust of the industry. Landowners played a key role in the rise of the industry and this paper explores their experiences throughout the boom-bust cycle. In particular, this examined whether the landowners experienced social disruptions during the cycle and whether their perceptions of the industry changed over time. This study found that the unequal distribution of benefits from the natural gas industry negatively impacted the region and led to disruptions in families, friendships, and neighborhoods. Regret and disillusion also emerged and emphasized the importance of industry, financial, and legal knowledge in order to successfully interact with the natural gas companies. Landowners who lacked the necessary knowledge became locked into situations that they deeply regretted but were unable to change. The social disruptions, regret, and disillusion left the landowners distrustful, isolated, and experiencing a sense of anomie.