LAUSR

Abstract While overall air pollution has steadily decreased in the United States since the 1970s, air pollution from the oil and gas extraction industry has dramatically increased rural population's exposure to toxic air emissions since the fracking boom. Venting (i.e., releasing or leaking natural gas into the atmosphere) and flaring (i.e., burning extracted natural gas) by the oil and gas extraction industry is the largest industrial source of volatile organic compounds. Despite the critical role the oil and gas industry plays in contributing to global climate change, quantitative disproportionality research has yet to explain pollution disparities within the oil and gas extraction industry. Using a sample of 126,862 producing oil and gas extraction facilities and the 4608 companies that directly operate them, I analyze how venting and flaring is related to the characteristics of facilities, operators, and the political environment in which they are embedded. I find that venting and flaring is not a uniform practice of all oil and gas extraction facilities. A two-part hurdle regression model shows venting and flaring practices are consistently associated with facilities with new drilling, few nearby wells, large operator oil production, violations, permitting, and the portion of the surrounding community that is Hispanic. Findings suggest economic incentives and state policy are key factors contributing to the environmental decisions of organizations. I suggest political will be applied to enact policy to reduce the pollution and waste caused by venting and flaring.