Boomtowns and Offshore Energy Impact Assessment

The boomtown scenario has, over the last decade, become closely associated with energy-related development in the western United States. The model based on this scenario has been generalized to other energy-related production activities, notably offshore oil and gas development. The basic mechanism underlying the boomtown model is the rapid growth of population that occurs as individuals move into an area to take advantage of employment opportunities in the energy production sectors of the economy. In contrast to western energy development, the structure of employment in the primary sectors of offshore oil and gas production allows individuals to commute from considerable distances rather than relocate. Without relocation and the corresponding population growth, some of the negative social and economic impacts generally associated with boomtowns do not occur. Thus the traditional boomtown model is limited in its appropriateness as a tool for energy-related impact assessment. In the present article, the original boomtown model is modified to provide greater flexibility and comprehensiveness, not only with respect to offshore oil and gas production in the gulf coast but for other areas of rapid development as well.