Fractured Communities

Few energy questions have stirred more conflict in the twenty-first century than the effects of drilling for unconventional gas and oil through hydraulic fracturing, widely called fracking. Residents near these operations have clashed over the damage to their surroundings and their health, and the debate has grown alongside the wider fight over fossil fuel extraction.

The book gathers detailed case studies from environmental sociologists, with Anthony E. Ladd named among the contributors. Each study looks at how people in several major American shale regions judge the risks, what social and environmental consequences follow, and whether communities organize to protest or stay largely inactive.

The authors argue that the struggle over fracking is spreading and has moved into the mainstream of American political life.