DISH, Texas and many other areas in Colorado and Wyoming, have reported post-drilling crime booms in their communities.
The trouble comes with the workers the companies hire, who live in trailers next to the rigs while they are running. Mayor Calvin Tillman of DISH, Texas says that these workers, in most cases, are not subject to a background check prior to hiring, and sometimes are even recruited directly from jails.
A 2006 report approved by the Sublette County, Wyoming attorney begins, “Reported crimes and arrests have been increasing at an exponential rate since the year 2000 and have shown to be highly statistically correlated with gas (drilling) activity.”
Such incidents show that local communities must pay attention to the social, and not just the environmental and economic aspects of this issue.
