Files
Abstract
This paper examines the willingness of industry personnel and anti-fracking protester (fractivists) to engage in conversation about fracking in urban landscapes. Increasingly, fracking sites are situated in urban communities, near homes, schools, and playgrounds, leaving community members concerned and apprehensive about fracking's effects on the environment and human health. In response, the oil and gas industry promotes and encourages "authentic and transparent engagement with community members" in order to to assuage public fears. Using interview data, this study analyzes what frames of understanding industry personnel and fractivists see fracking through, how the frames prevent conversations, and how a frame that prioritizes a cost-benefit analysis benefits mineral extraction throughout Colorado and belittles community members lived experiences.