Doctoral Dissertation Research: Environmental Subject Formation at the Intersection of Hydraulic Fracturing and Agricultural Production: A Critical Q Study of the Twin Tiers Region

University Of Georgia Research Foundation Inc, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

The rapid rise of shale gas development via hydraulic fracturing is reshaping rural regions of the United States in significant and uneven ways. This project will analyze how human-environment interactions within agricultural landscapes are being reshaped by the introduction of hydraulic fracturing, as farmers decide whether or not to permit shale gas development on their land. In this way, the project responds to a pressing need for scientific research on the impacts of the hydraulic fracturing boom on farmer-landowners in the US. The study will produce new insights about how farmers act as environmental citizens in relation to state-level shale gas development policy, land grant college extension programs, and the production of environmental knowledge. Working at the interface of political ecology, science and technology studies and Q methodology, the study will move beyond simplistic representations of the complex practices of shale gas development and lay the groundwork for building consensus by identifying areas of convergence between farmer-landowners representing different orientations to hydraulic fracturing. The doctoral student will work with local land grant colleges to share the research findings at regional agricultural conferences and with diverse stakeholders in the shale gas development debate. This project employs a mixed methods approach to analyze farmer perceptions of hydraulic fracturing. The central research question asks: How are human-environment relationships being reconfigured at the intersection of hydraulic fracturing and agricultural production? The research will examine the Twin Tiers region of Pennsylvania and New York as a case study to examine how divergent state-level policies may impact perceptions of hydraulic fracturing. The doctoral student will use Q methodology, a method of statistically analyzing subjective viewpoints, to identify how farmers experience hydraulic fracturing on their land. The use of Q methodology will also identify areas of convergence that may be used to build consensus among diverse stakeholders in the hydraulic fracturing debate. These findings will be supplemented with interviews to provider greater depth and detail while interpreting the results of the Q method study. Additionally, the doctoral student will use critical discourse analysis to examine how social contexts impact the ways in which human-environment interactions are shaped. These findings will inform local stakeholders, land grant colleges, and policy makers by highlighting potential areas of consensus between opposing viewpoints on hydraulic fracturing.