Report: Oil and gas can boost economies and outdoor recreation
Posted on August 20, 2013 at 11:43 am by Jennifer A. Dlouhy
Oil and gas development can coexist with hiking and hunting — and sometimes even fosters that outdoor recreation — according to a new study on how counties are balancing the activities.
The research, conducted by professors from two Utah universities and funded by the American Petroleum Institute, relies on case studies from 16 counties in California, Pennsylvania and six other states as evidence that areas fare better economically when they take an equitable approach to energy development and natural amenities.
“Energy and amenity development are not mutually exclusive,” said Southern Utah University political science professor Ryan Yonk and Utah State University economics professor Randy Simmons. “Because both energy and amenity resources provide value to a county, when counties have both resources they tend to develop both, and in a way that allows both sectors to grow.”
