Other Political Science Commons^™

Understanding State Rulemaking Processes: Developing Fracking Rules In Colorado, New York, And Ohio, Sara Rinfret, Jeffrey Cook, Michelle Pautz

Michelle Pautz

Rulemaking is an integral component of environmental policy at both the federal and state level; however, rulemaking at the state level is understudied. With this research, we begin to fill that gap by focusing on rulemaking regarding the issue of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in three states: Colorado, New York, and Ohio. This policy issue is well suited to begin exploring state-level rulemaking processes because the federal government has left fracking regulation to the states. Through semistructured interviews with a range of actors in the rulemaking process across these states, we establish a foundation from which future research in this area …