The Public’s Perspective

Even though they are outside of negotiations for new energy developments, people in local communities are impacted by it – in both good ways and bad. 

In the fall of 2017, in the midst of an oil and gas boom in West Texas that appeared likely to lead to drilling near the Big Bend Region, the Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation (CGMF) set out to assess how residents there, and Texans more broadly, think about these impacts. 

The foundation commissioned focus groups with residents of Alpine, Fort Davis and Pecos – towns of varied distance from active drilling – to gauge awareness and perceptions of potential energy development. A public opinion survey of 1,000 Texans statewide followed to measure attitudes about the Big Bend Region and energy development broadly. 

The research found that: 

• A majority of Texans think energy development is good for the state, but, like Far West Texas residents, they do not want it to take place just anywhere. When asked to choose, most Texans prioritized protecting communities and land and water resources for future generations over energy development.

• People are skeptical that energy can be produced without harming communities and natural resources.

• Eighty-one percent of Texans believe that cities and towns should have greater input when energy development is likely to have an impact on their own communities and quality of life.

The results of this research led CGMF to embark on a public engagement process in the Tri-County region that could serve as a pilot study for the approach.

More detail on this research is available in the technical report supplement.