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Preface1. Introducing State and Local Conflict2. The City of Longmont and the Politics of Unconventional Oil and Gas in Colorado3. The city of Brownsville and Plastic Bag Politics in Texas4. The City of Houston and Air Pollution Politics in Texas5. The City of St. Petersburg and Climate Change Politics in Florida6. The City of Birmingham, AL and the Politics of Monuments and Confederate Statues in Alabama7. The City of Charlotte and the Politics of ⁰́₈Bathroom Bills⁰́₉ in North Carolina8. The City of Kansas City and Uber Politics in Missouri9. The City of Santa Monica and Form of Government Politics in California10. The City of Minneapolis and Wage Politics in Minnesota11. The City of Pittsburgh and Paid Sick Leave Politics in Pennsylvania 12.The City of Cleveland and Local Hiring Politics in Ohio13. The City of Columbia and Property Tax Politics in South Carolina14. The City of Coronado and Regional Housing Politics in California15. Summary and Lessons Learned

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Acknowledgments -- Preface -- 1 Introducing State and Local Governments -- 2 Unpacking State and Local Conflict -- 3 The City of Longmont and the Politics of Unconventional Oil and Gas in Colorado -- 4 The City of Brownsville and Plastic Bag Politics in Texas -- 5 The City of Houston and Air Pollution Politics in Texas -- 6 The City of St. Petersburg and Climate Change Politics in Florida -- 7 The City of Birmingham, AL and the Politics of Monuments and Confederate Statues in Alabama -- 8 The City of Charlotte and the Politics of 'Bathroom Bills' in North Carolina -- 9 The City of Kansas City and Uber Politics in Missouri -- 10 The City of Santa Monica and Form of Government Politics in California -- 11 The City of Minneapolis and Wage Politics in Minnesota -- 12 The City of Pittsburgh and Paid Sick Leave Politics in Pennsylvania -- 13 The City of Cleveland and Local Hiring Politics in Ohio -- 14 The City of Columbia and Property Tax Politics in South Carolina -- 15 The City of Coronado and Regional Housing Politics in California -- 16 Summary and Lessons Learned -- Index.

The political, technical, social, and economic challenges related to climate change are well documented. As policy makers are increasingly experiencing the reality of rising sea levels, they are also confronting a fragmented and sometimes fractured intergovernmental system. State and local governments face a delicate balancing act, especially, when it comes to infrastructure and climate change. They must respond to citizens, avoid losing their autonomy, maintain fiscal stability and health, provide a high quality of life, and ensure public safety. The reality of anthropogenic climate change has compounded many of these difficulties, perhaps, most acutely in America's coastal states and communities. Recognizing these challenges, this article examines the challenges facing coastal communities as they seek to adapt to and build more resilient infrastructure that can mitigate the impacts of rising sea levels.

Municipalities are on fracking's front lines. Unlike the extraction techniques of the past, many of today's operations are located within a mile or two of residential areas. Yet, little scholarly attention has been paid to the factors that can precipitate municipal challenges to the state's authority. For some, the decision to oppose the state may be related to environmental concerns, while in other communities, leaders are much more concerned about how development impacts homeowners. Recognizing this debate, this article examines local defiance in the era of fracking with a sample of Colorado, Texas, and Ohio communities.

2015 Spring. ; Includes bibliographical references. ; Wicked environmental and energy challenges often originate where energy, the environment and economics intersect (Rittel and Webber 1973). Fracking is one such example. As a practice, it has prompted a certain amount of political debate at both the state and municipal levels. Proponents argue that natural gas extraction creates well-paying jobs, helps grow and revive stagnant economies and that it provides a 'cleaner' burning energy source. Its opponents counter that the technique produces a number of environmental harms such as air pollution, surface and groundwater contamination, places new demands on infrastructure and causes geological instability (Davis 2012). Ranging from intergovernmental battles to cooperative relationships, the politics of fracking are reshaping the relations between neighborhoods, city hall and the statehouse. To explore the 'second order' dynamics of fracking, this dissertation asks several interrelated questions. What are the state and local institutions, rules and informal norms governing state-municipal relationships when it comes to hydraulic fracturing? To what extent do municipalities regulate fracking and what are the types of city-level regulation? Finally, why are some cities willing to pass land use policies that challenge their state's natural gas extraction goals and preemptive authority and others are not? To answer the questions above, I consider the second order dynamics in the context of Colorado, Texas and Ohio and a sample of cities in each state. Each state has a high number of citizens living near gas wells, but offers cities and towns varying degrees of land use authority. To elucidate their second-order relationships and dynamics, each chapter tests potential explanatory variables originating from studies of environmental policy, democratic theory and urban governance. Results suggest that both macro level (environmentalism and mobilization) and micro level concerns (percentage of owner occupied homes and median home values) can affect second order relations and the willingness of local communities to exert more municipal autonomy and challenge their state. My findings offer a more complete picture of second order federalism and strengthen the scholarly and applied understanding of two key American political institutions.

AbstractU.S. energy firms are increasingly expanding their production of natural gas oftentimes by relying on a controversial extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing. While proponents cite a litany of benefits including economic development and reduced carbon emissions, opponents articulate concerns typically centering on environmental quality. Caught between these opposing points of view, states are turning to disclosure requirements. Yet all disclosure statutes are not created equally. In order to better understand this variation, I utilize Abel, Stephan, and Kraft's (ASK) 2007 performance model, which evaluates the effectiveness of information‐based disclosure rules for industry. The model here, however, is applied in an attempt to understand why disclosure regulations emerge and vary across states. Results generally validate the ASK approach but with one caveat. I find that in the context of differing disclosure regulations, the ASK model's pollution severity/risk measure may be refined by including risk perception.

AbstractAn understudied aspect of the "fracking" debate involves questions and challenges associated with abandoned wells and well closure. States regulators have a variety of options when it comes to policies and financial tools related to site closure and remediation including bonds, fees, and specific legacy funds. Those advocating more robust financial programs suggest that they are necessary to mitigate risks to the public. Opponents contend that they dissuade operators from investing in older fields and add costs that are passed on to consumers. Using a novel index of state financial tools, this paper assesses why some states adopt more robust financial assurance while others do not.

AbstractThis paper provides an analysis of public attitudes toward fracking use and policies with an eye toward factors that help us account for differing levels of support. Using data from a national survey of American adults, we found that women and people residing in urban areas are slightly more inclined to oppose fracking and to favor more regulation in terms of drilling operations and company chemical disclosure requirements than men or people living in rural areas. Our key findings, however, are that opposition to fracking and support for current or increased levels of regulation are strongly related to Democratic Party identification and to pro‐environmental policy attitudes. We conclude by suggesting that a tendency for people to view fracking as an environmental rather than an energy issue has potentially important implications for the implementation of locally based regulatory requirements.

"Although a technique for hydraulic fracturing-more commonly known as fracking-was developed and implemented in the 1970s in Texas, fracking of the Marcellus Shale formation that stretches from West Virginia through Pennsylvania to New York did not begin in earnest until the twenty-first century. Unconventional natural gas production via fracking has ignited debate, challenged regulators, and added to the complexity of twenty-first-century natural resource management. Through a longitudinal study taken from 2000 to 2015, Jonathan M. Fisk, Soren Jordan, and A. J. Good examine how the management of natural resources functions relative to specific regulatory actions including inspections, identifying violations, and the use of specific regulatory tools. Ultimately, they find that factors as disparate as state policy goals, elected officials, the availability of data, inspectors, front-line staff, and the use of technology form a context that, in turn, shapes the use of specific regulatory tools and decisions."

"Although a technique for hydraulic fracturing-more commonly known as fracking-was developed and implemented in the 1970s in Texas, fracking of the Marcellus Shale formation that stretches from West Virginia through Pennsylvania to New York did not begin in earnest until the twenty-first century. Unconventional natural gas production via fracking has ignited debate, challenged regulators, and added to the complexity of twenty-first-century natural resource management. Through a longitudinal study taken from 2000 to 2015, Jonathan M. Fisk, Soren Jordan, and A. J. Good examine how the management of natural resources functions relative to specific regulatory actions including inspections, identifying violations, and the use of specific regulatory tools. Ultimately, they find that factors as disparate as state policy goals, elected officials, the availability of data, inspectors, front-line staff, and the use of technology form a context that, in turn, shapes the use of specific regulatory tools and decisions"--

The COVID pandemic has forced governments to reimagine their revenue sources and spending priorities as well as how they balance meeting increasing public health demands with other pressing challenges. As the challenges to local economies have grown, policymakers at all levels of government have debated how best to restore confidence in the economy while mitigating the pandemic's economic fallout. One such example is the Federal Government's CARES legislation, which covers expenses related to COVID mitigation and response for state and local governments. This short commentary examines the experiences of Anchorage, Alaska and Reno, Nevada and offers a 'lessons learned' on how best to stimulate growth while protecting citizens' health.