Agenda - Planning Commission - 11/03/2016

Home

boom to pay for much-needed infrastructure upgrades,roads,or a new water treatment control plant.There may suddenly be a sur plus of housing when previously there was a shortage.Housing prices may decrease quick ly as a result.This is not to say that all of these impacts will be felt by a community,but some or all of them might be,to varying degrees. z d To the extent possible,the local government should try to plan for such busts by saving its greater revenues during the boom times and, to the extent possible,it should try to plan for the long term and diversify its economy. i One successful example of this is Rifle, 3 Colorado,which suffered a severe bust in 1980.The town was devastated,saw signifi- cant population decline,and did not issue a building permit for close to a decade.The e community had been very reliant on the o oil and gas industry.When the next boom picked up again the 199os,the mayor had the foresight to plan for the longterm.Mayor • Keith Lambert remembered the previous bust and worked to encourage Rifle to diversify its economy by investing in solar energy.It had the opportunity to do that when the next The potential listing of this species on the importance of local efforts and knowledge boom came around.This community still sig- the endangered species list brought together in land-use planning and the potential for nificantly supports and relies upon the oil and an unusual coalition of environmentalists, communities to cooperate to increase their gas industry,but it has also positioned itself members and proponents of the oil and gas efficacy in order to avoid losing control. to have more solar panels per capita than any industry,property owners,and local and re- other municipality in the United States gional government officials and planners to try HOW TO BRACE FOR FRACKING`BUSTS'? (Essex 2015).Additionally,it has played on the to implement measures to preserve the sage This is a very important and challenging issue strengths of its location,at the intersection of grouse and its habitat to a significant enough for communities that depend on oil and gas major highways and on the Colorado River,to degree to avoid the listing.The measures in- development.Communities that have gone increase tourism.These efforts have strength- cluded voluntary local and regional land-use through multiple boom-and-bust cycles,such ened its economy and helped it to save money plans and efforts that looked at local threats as in Colorado or North Dakota,have learned for the long run and to weather the busts. to the species'habitats and implemented lessons that they have implemented,but it is It's important to keep in mind during measures to address those threats.Local still difficult:These cycles are not predictable the boom times that the boom growth is not governments worked with the Bureau of Land and depend on many variables,from govern- sustainable,and it is critical to think about op- Management to coordinate local plans with ment subsidies being available or taken away tions and savings for when that growth slows federal plans and goals.This allowed for more to global geopolitics.it can be very hard for or stops. targeted and effective approaches to preserv- a community to keep up with the fast-paced ing the bird,rather than a one-size-fits-all development required during the boom CONCLUSION approach that is typical of federal conserva- periods and then to immediately have that Although the scope of a local government's tion efforts.They were also able to create development stall or stop altogether.In ex- authority related to fracking is state-specific "more effective local mapping of the bird's treme cases,if a community has a significant and,in many cases,changing quickly due to habitat to understand where to focus efforts number of transient workers for the industry, new state laws and new case law address- and which areas needed the most protection. many people may leave the community once ing preemption issues,communities can still In the end,the sage grouse was not the work has slowed or stopped,very quickly learn from others who have gone through listed.But that potential spurred very effective decreasing the population and the tax base. boom-bust cycles with regard to planning cooperation and efforts to carefully consider That,plus the lack of economic activity, techniques and longer-term strategies.States various impacts of economic development means significantly less money for the local and local governments also continue to took and human activities on the environment and government.This can be a problem not just for to each other for examples of specific regula- to plan accordingly to achieve a desired result. ordinary costs,but also ifthe government has tions that have been successful—whether to Lessons can be learned from this experience— bonds to pay—bonds it had used during the increase recycling of wastewater or minimize ZONINGPRACTICE 10.16 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION 1 page 6