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Using data from seven shale gas regions in the United States, we examine natural gas production in terms of drilling rig activity and well completion rates. Our objective is to examine the determinants of well completion decisions in the U.S. natural gas production. We observe that in recent years, the explanatory power of drilling rig count has declined. On the other hand, the number of producing wells remains a significant factor for explaining the variation in gas production. We find that an increase in the number of drilled but uncompleted wells (DUCs) plays a significant role in natural gas supply. The number of DUCs depends on drilling rig activity and futures prices of oil and natural gas. Also, our results indicate that well completion decisions and the duration of DUC status depend on oil and gas prices, pipeline capacity, producing well type and well depth. Keywords: Natural Gas Production, Rigs, Drilling, Completion, Pipelines, Prices., 1. INTRODUCTION Understanding the determinants of natural gas supply is important because of its significance for the U.S. power sector (Peters and Hertel, 2017; Stephens, 2018) and U.S. economic activity [...]

We examined the spatial distribution of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the US drinking water and explored the relationship between PFAS contamination, public water systems (PWS) characteristics, and socioeconomic attributes of the affected communities. Using data from the EPA's third Unregulated Contaminant Rule, the Census Bureau, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we identified spatial contamination hot spots and found that PFAS contamination was correlated with PWSs size, non-surface raw water intake sources, population, and housing density. We also found that non-white communities had less PFAS in drinking water. Lastly, we observed that PFAS contamination varied depending on regional industrial composition. The results showed that drinking water PFAS contamination was an externality of not only some industrial activities but also household consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity impedes economic development and can be expensive or infeasible to resolve in many developing countries with recurring water service outages. In such circumstances, water supply organizations may be able to improve ancillary water service attributes to alleviate the burden of service interruptions. We use a discrete choice experiment to estimate households' willingness to pay (WTP) for improved water quality, coordinated scheduling of planned service interruptions, water use restrictions, and improved dissemination of information about upcoming service interruptions in Puerto Rico. The results indicate that households' WTP varies considerably across attributes and is greatest ($ 28/month per household) for ensuring adequate water quality. Preferences for water service improvements vary across geographic locations and latent user groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using county-level data from 1997 to 2018, we examine the effects of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) industry growth on agricultural acreage in the United States. We find that, on average, each active UOG well is associated with a 3.3-acre reduction crop acreage in counties with UOG production. However, the impacts vary by region. The relationship is positive in the Southwest, U-shaped in the Great Plains, and negative in Appalachia. Variations of impacts across regions result from differences in geology and historic developments in the energy and agricultural sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) are financial instruments created by state policies to offer incentives for generating solar energy. In an effort to support in‐state solar energy sectors and boost local employment opportunities, some states have closed off their SREC markets to out‐of‐state solar facilities. We examine the merits of such protectionist policy from the protectionist state's perspective. We find that SREC market closure leads to higher in‐state SREC prices and greater solar installation, and is associated with lower electricity prices. The study illustrates the economic incentives for protecting in‐state SREC markets from out‐of‐state solar energy producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]