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Environmental Knowledge Cartographies: Evaluating Competing Discourses in U.S. Hydraulic Fracturing Rule-Making

Publication ,  Journal Article
Baka, J; Hesse, A; Weinthal, E; Bakker, K
Published in: Annals of the American Association of Geographers
November 2, 2019

In this article, we evaluate competing environmental knowledge claims in U.S. hydraulic fracturing (HF) regulation. We conduct a case study of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) rule-making process over the period from 2012 to 2015, which was the first attempt to update federal oil and gas regulations in thirty years. Our study addresses a gap in the energy geographies and environmental governance literatures, which have yet to evaluate systematically HF-related decision-making processes at the policymaking scale. We mobilize theoretical insights from science and technology studies on boundary objects and critical environmental discourse analysis to conduct a “cultural cartography” of the BLM’s rule-making process. Our analysis of a subset of 1.4 million public comments submitted to the BLM, combined with fifteen stakeholder interviews, focuses on (1) who participated in the rule-making process; (2) the types of knowledge claims advanced in support or opposition of the rule; and (3) how these claims affected the rule-making process. In contrast to recent literature that finds increased “horizontality” of environmental knowledge production, we find a clear hierarchy that privileges government knowledge—including federal government–sponsored research and existing laws—above all other categories of evidence cited. As such, we argue that government knowledge—which in this case brought disparate stakeholder groups together to debate HF regulation—functions as a key boundary object in the rule-making process. We conclude with a discussion of implications for both research and policy. Key Words: boundary work, Bureau of Land Management, hydraulic fracturing, regulation, rule making.

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Published In

Annals of the American Association of Geographers

DOI

EISSN

2469-4460

ISSN

2469-4452

Publication Date

November 2, 2019

Volume

109

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1941 / 1960
 

Citation

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Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Baka, J., Hesse, A., Weinthal, E., & Bakker, K. (2019). Environmental Knowledge Cartographies: Evaluating Competing Discourses in U.S. Hydraulic Fracturing Rule-Making. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 109(6), 1941–1960. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2019.1574549
Baka, J., A. Hesse, E. Weinthal, and K. Bakker. “Environmental Knowledge Cartographies: Evaluating Competing Discourses in U.S. Hydraulic Fracturing Rule-Making.” Annals of the American Association of Geographers 109, no. 6 (November 2, 2019): 1941–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2019.1574549.
Baka J, Hesse A, Weinthal E, Bakker K. Environmental Knowledge Cartographies: Evaluating Competing Discourses in U.S. Hydraulic Fracturing Rule-Making. Annals of the American Association of Geographers. 2019 Nov 2;109(6):1941–60.
Baka, J., et al. “Environmental Knowledge Cartographies: Evaluating Competing Discourses in U.S. Hydraulic Fracturing Rule-Making.” Annals of the American Association of Geographers, vol. 109, no. 6, Nov. 2019, pp. 1941–60. Scopus, doi:10.1080/24694452.2019.1574549.
Baka J, Hesse A, Weinthal E, Bakker K. Environmental Knowledge Cartographies: Evaluating Competing Discourses in U.S. Hydraulic Fracturing Rule-Making. Annals of the American Association of Geographers. 2019 Nov 2;109(6):1941–1960.

Published In

Annals of the American Association of Geographers

DOI

EISSN

2469-4460

ISSN

2469-4452

Publication Date

November 2, 2019

Volume

109

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1941 / 1960