A research agenda to support economic resilience in US oil and gas producing communities

Abstract

Major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will require a transition away from fossil fuels, including oil and natural gas. However, little research has examined the implications of such a transition for the workers and communities who depend on these industries to support local and regional economic wellbeing. In this perspective, we lay out a research agenda that can help inform policymakers as they seek to craft effective policies to support affected communities. We focus on the United States, the world’s largest oil and gas producer, and identify three key policy areas where new scholarship is needed to inform policymaking: economic and workforce development, public finances, and environmental remediation. Although it is not a comprehensive research agenda, we identify dozens of distinct research questions that will require a mix of methods and disciplinary lenses, including basic data gathering, community engagement, program evaluation, policy analysis, political analysis, and more. The goal of this article is to encourage scholars to take up these topics and expand them in the years ahead to ensure that oil and gas communities become more economically resilient in the face of deep uncertainty over the future of the domestic and global energy system.