According to U. S. Researchers, the number of sex offenders in energy "boomtowns” have increased two to three times higher, compared to other industries.

Joel Berger from the University of Montana and Jon P. Beckmann of Idaho State University, observed communities in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in Wyoming.

They found that while some towns in Wyoming were dependent on agriculture and tourism, many towns relied on energy extraction.

Berger remarked that it is evident from the last few years that the development of large scale power projects, has taken a toll on both society and environment.

The study, which was published in Conservation Biology, revealed that the number of sexual predators had jumped 300% in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in 2008.

The study also saw illegal use of drugs, domestic violence, wildlife poaching and a general rise in crime, in the energy boomtowns across the western United States.