Christina Lyons, a partner in the Vorys Houston office and a member of the corporate group, authored an interesting article for the April 2013 edition of the Oil and Gas Financial Journal entitled “What the frac is a man camp?” Man camps have increased in number due to influxes in population coupled with housing shortages in remote drilling areas.
The article states:
“Although these man camps provide solutions for the oil companies and their employees with respect to housing shortages, they sometimes bring with them a host of problems for the rural communities in which they are constructed. With an overwhelming influx in population, problems arise with safety and sanitation. The increase in population places strains on interior roads, electricity and water providers, law enforcement agencies, emergency services, fire protection, and sewage disposal.”
Lyons indicates that many local communities have crafted ordinances to regulate the construction and placement of man camps. She concludes the article with:
“Many locals view the oil companies and employees as "guests" of the community. Local ordinances are an attempt to make sure the companies and employees remain in favor of their host towns so that they will be invited back.
The ordinances can also be viewed positively by the oil companies. Without such ordinances, the companies may face moratoriums in certain areas in which the community has been maxed out on services. That being said, others remain resistant to the regulation of an industry which historically has been uncensored and unregulated. Only time will tell as to what extent, and to what degree, the drilling boom and its unique issues will be regulated.”
To read the full article, visit the Oil and Gas Financial Journal website.