PATH DEPENDENCE, ANTI-FRACKING MOBILIZATION, AND SHALE POLICY DIVERGENCE IN NEW YORK AND PENNSYLVANIA
Open Access
- Author:
- Maull, Amanda
- Graduate Program:
- Sociology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- September 24, 2018
- Committee Members:
- Alan M Sica, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
John David Mccarthy, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
John David Mccarthy, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Sarah A Damaske, Outside Member
Jeffrey T. Ulmer, Committee Member - Keywords:
- path dependence
social movements
policy - Abstract:
- This dissertation examines the political dynamics surrounding shale policy development in two states, New York and Pennsylvania. These states sit atop one of the most important shale energy plays in the United States, the Marcellus Shale, and were flashpoints in the controversy over fracking. Whereas Pennsylvania experienced extensive shale energy development, virtually none occurred in New York due to a preemptive moratorium imposed in 2008. In 2015, New York became the first, and to date, the only state with substantial shale energy resources to ban fracking. Pennsylvania, like most states, allowed shale drilling to proceed while stronger regulations were slowly developed and implemented. This research employs a “minimalist” path dependency framework to understand why these states adopted such different shale policies. Pennsylvania was similar to other shale producing states in that a history of fossil fuel extraction created a favorable context for the oil and gas industry. By contrast, natural resource extraction was never an important part of New York’s economy. I argue that distinct histories of resource extraction contributed to different interest group dynamics, competitive advantages, and political calculations in these states, which in turn, led to shale policy divergence. In both states, political decision-making occurred within a context of increased environmental activism and therefore, provides an opportunity to examine the interaction between social movement dynamics and the policy process. Thus, this dissertation speaks to students of environmental politics, as well as, a wider community of scholars concerned with politics and policy more generally.