Local Government Fiscal Impacts of Oil and Gas Development
Since the mid-2000s, technological advances have led to a dramatic increase in natural gas and oil production in many regions of the United States. With increased production comes new revenue – and new costs – for local and state governments.
The Shale Public Finance project seeks to identify the key public finance issues facing local governments that are dealing with an unpredictable and rapidly changing oil and gas landscape. Led by former Energy Initiative Director Richard G. Newell and Associate in Research Daniel Raimi, and with the support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the project has examined every major onshore oil and gas producing region of the United States from 2013 through 2015. Ongoing research examines fiscal issues associated with decreased oil and gas activity in 2015 and beyond.
Summaries of our findings to date can be found in the interactive map below.
Reports:
2016: Overview of all 16 states (AK, AR, CA, CO, KS, LA, MT, ND, NM, OH, OK, PA, UT, TX, WV, WY)
2016: AK, CA, KS, NM, OH, OK, UT, WV
2014: AR, CO, LA, MT, ND, PA, TX, WY
2016: 16 states in FY2013: AK, AR, CA, CO, KS, LA, MT, ND, NM, OH, OK, PA, UT, TX, WV, WY
2014: Eight states in FY2012: AR, CO, LA, MT, ND, PA, TX, WY
More about the Shale Public Finance project:
- View a detailed project description
- Sign up to be notified about additional findings
- Travel blog: Project team members have traveled to every major onshore oil and gas producing region of the United States to investigate firsthand the impacts on local government finances. You can read more about those travels in our travel blog.
Workshops:
About 20 experts on local government issues related to oil and gas development convened at the Energy Initiative in late August 2015 for a workshop that focused on fiscal effects for local governments in the eight states examined in Phase II of the Shale Public Finance project. Along with local government officials from these states (Alaska, California, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia), the workshop featured experts from independent research organizations, state and federal government, and oil and gas companies. At the workshop, experts provided feedback to Duke University researchers on their preliminary findings, discussed issues related to tax policy and long-term economic health for resource-dependent communities, and shared experiences from a range of regions affected by the oil and gas development in the shale era.
2015 Workshop Presentations:
- Net fiscal impacts for local governments in Shale Public Finance Phase II states. Daniel Raimi, Duke University Energy Initiative, Associate in Research.
- (No PowerPoint: Public finance issues and oil & gas in Woods County. Randy McMurphy, Woods County, Okla., County Commissioner)
- Public finance issues and oil & gas in Duchesne County, Uintah basin. Gregory Todd, Duchesne County, Utah, County Commissioner
- Public finance issues and oil & gas in Farmington, San Juan basin. Robert Mayes, Farmington, New Mexico, City Manager
- Public finance issues and oil & gas in Alaska. Larry Persily, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, Special Advisor to the Mayor
- Revenue allocation in phase II states. Daniel Raimi, Duke University Energy Initiative, Associate in Research
- Approaches to measuring local public finances. Justin Marlowe, University of Washington, Professor of Public Finance and Civic Engagement
More than a dozen experts and local officials came to Duke University in the spring of 2014 to discuss how they handled or are still managing key fiscal issues raised by shale oil and gas development. They were joined by experts on energy policy, economics, and law from across the United States, Duke University and North Carolina to discuss the roles local government, state policy-makers and industry play in helping communities manage shale development’s fiscal implications.
2014 Workshop Presentations:
- Revenues, costs, and net fiscal impacts for local governments associated with oil and gas development. Daniel Raimi, Associate in Research, Duke University Energy Initiative
- Balancing the revenues and costs associated with Eagle Ford development. Larry Dovalina, city manager, Cotulla, TX
- Balancing the revenues and costs associated with Bakken development. Shawn Kessel, city manager, Dickinson, ND
- Working with oil and gas operators in Western Colorado. Kirby Wynn, oil and gas liaison, Garfield County, CO
- Working with oil and gas operators in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Harlan Shober, county commissioner, Washington County, PA
