Fundamental economic and policy aspects of shale gas development

This presentation will be part of a special session on shale gas risks. The presentation will cover the results of two projects: one is a novel, in-depth survey of shale gas experts in four groups - academics, NGOs, industry and regulators -- on what they see are the highest priority "impact pathways" (linkages from activities in shale gas development to the burdens they create to the impact category in which they are first lodged (e.g., groundwater)) warranting government or industry attention. We are looking for "sweet spots" of consensus among two or more groups as well as using information collected in the survey (e.g., experience levels, discipline, employer type) to explain why certain priorities are chosen. The second project compares state regulatory features across 20 specific categories (e.g., setback restrictions on drilling) and tells stories about why heterogeneity is observed. An introduction will also consider the context for shale gas development as a "game changer," in terms of resource size, price, impact on the economy, impact on greenhouse gases, impact on conventional air pollutants, etc.