Dr. Robert Maris has lived in Mansfield for 29 years with his wife. He is an actively involved community member, both on and off the Mansfield University campus. He is also the Biology Department Chair at Mansfield University.

How long have you lived in Mansfield?- “Since July 1988. So, 29 years.”

What is your perspective on fracking?- “It is incredibly bad for the environment, that is my first thought.”

Do you think the positive impacts outweigh the negative impacts?-“Not at all.”

What were some changes you noticed when fracking started in this area?- “One, it increased the economy in town. It helped in a good way, because all these people from the south came in and they were very polite. They are incredibly generous- while fundraising for cheer-leading the car washes cost five dollars, but they would donate fifty or one hundred dollars and not bat an eye. This wasn’t because they were rich or anything. They were just generous. They would also donate to Relay for Life and other student fundraisers. Another change was that the university anticipated a lot of college students coming in because of the gas boom and they hoped to develop a gas and oil program at the college, but it never happened. Another aspect was rent shot through the roof, a typical place that was $300 a month shot up to $1500 a month. They would cram a lot of people into one house, sometimes ten-person families in a one bedroom place. They took over a lot of businesses in town, but I wouldn’t call that a bad thing. It’s just something I noticed. Traffic increased immensely, but they built some nice roads. A whole bunch of people thought they would get rich by leasing their land, but it did not do as well as they thought. The laws are different around here than in other places (like Texas). People quit their jobs and expected to make a living off of the industry and leasing their land, but the financial benefit was short lived. In Texas they lease for years, but in Pennsylvania, it is only a one-time payment for leasing. There has been a lot of environmental damage- terrible smells coming out of water, people lighting their tap water on fire, and damage to the land. While this resulted in students at the university having interesting projects and access to other internships, the negative impacts were too great. The impact economically on the positive side just didn’t pan out at all. This goes back 7-8 years ago, we gained a very small amount of students from it.  It increased the business at the bars, which seems to still being going on. Churches and the Lions Club in town thought they would gain new members but that didn’t happen. Everything that was expected to improve with the gas boom, just fell through for the community.”

Do you think the community would be better off if fracking had never begun in this area?- “Yes, it raised the expectations too high and any damage outweighs the positives. You meet nice people, but it isn’t quite worth it for just that. We thought there would be new restaurants and businesses, but it didn’t happen. The rent thing was the biggest impact, students and families were pushed out. So, yes, the community would be better off without fracking in the area.”