4. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS 



The social and economic impacts of OCS development are a major 

 concern of the New England states. Although the region desperately 

 needs additional employment opportunities to strengthen its economy, 

 planners fear that a rapid influx of workers into a local area could 

 disrupt the social and economic structure of the community. The as- 

 sociated increase in population would result in additional public ex- 

 penditures that may not be offset by increased revenues. An addi- 

 tional concern is the possibility that OCS-related activities could 

 hurt the tourist and fishing industries which are so vital to the 

 region's economy. 



4.1 Employment 



Richard Ely observed that "there is a myth that the oil industry 

 will produce a large number of jobs, helping to lower unemployment in 

 New England. "'7 The number of people employed and the skills required 

 varies with the size of the field, the stage of development, and the 

 number of rigs. Many of the workers will be imported for short periods 

 of time, and the number of local workers will vary considerably. 



Figure 5 shows employment (direct, indirect, onshore and offshore) 

 as estimated by the New England River Basins Commission (NERBC) for its 

 high find scenario. In its "high find" scenario, which assumes an 

 average production of 286,000 barrels of oil per day, an average of 2,800 

 persons are directly employed over the 30-year development period. Of 

 this total, 1,800 persons will be hired locally. The bulk of the employment 



27 



