Working Paper: NBER ID: w30684
Authors: Elaine L. Hill
Abstract: The benefits and costs of resource extraction are currently being hotly debated in the case of unconventional natural gas development (commonly known as “fracking"). Colorado provides a unique research environment to study the health impacts of conventional and unconventional forms of oil and gas development (OGD) given its long history of conventional OGD and recent expansion of unconventional OGD. I utilize detailed vital statistics and the mother's residential address to define proximity to drilling activity. Using a difference-in-differences model that compares mothers residing within 1 km to mothers residing 1 - 5 km of a well (before and during/after drilling), I find that proximity to wells before birth increases adverse birth outcomes and pregnancy-related complications. I find impacts on the extensive and intensive margins and across well types. I also present results suggesting no impacts on fertility or mobility. These results are robust to multiple specifications and suggest that policies to mitigate against the risks of living near OGD may be warranted.
Keywords: oil and gas extraction; infant health; adverse birth outcomes; proximity to drilling
JEL Codes: I10; I18; Q33; Q53
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Proximity to wells before birth (J19) | Adverse birth outcomes (J13) |
| Proximity to wells before birth (J19) | Pregnancy-related complications (I12) |
| Living within 1 km of drilling activity (L71) | Decrease in birth weight (J13) |
| Living within 1 km of drilling activity (L71) | Increase in prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) (J19) |
| Living within 1 km of drilling activity (L71) | Increase in prevalence of preterm birth (PTB) (J13) |
| An additional well drilled within 1 km (L71) | Decrease in birth weight (J13) |
| Living near drilling sites (L71) | Increase in gestational diabetes (O42) |
| Living near drilling sites (L71) | Increase in hypertension among mothers (J13) |