To Frack or Not to Frack?: How a Small New York Town’s Decision-Making Process Came Up Short

In 2012 officials in the Town of Colden, a small, New York town near Buffalo, set in motion a policy-making process to decide whether or not to allow gas and oil drilling in their town using the controversial drilling technique known as fracking. In 2015 this policy-making process collapsed without a decision one way or the other. What went wrong? The town’s struggle to deal with a complex public issue broke down due to its failure to observe fundamental governing principles -including the rule of law, workforce training and political responsiveness. This book, an excellent case study for college classroom use, will also help small town officials and citizens take a hard look at their own governing procedures.