Regulating Water Security in Unconventional Oil and Gas: An Introduction

Buono, Regina M.; Gunn, Elena López; Staddon, Chad; McKay, Jennifer

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-18342-4_1

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Within the U.S. and Canada, several overlapping approaches provide data on water withdrawal and chemical use records for ongoing and future HF operations. 221 As one response, the industry introduced FracFocus, which began as a platform for voluntary disclosure but has become mandatory in many North American states and provinces. 222,223 Other regulators, such as the Alberta Energy Regulator and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection additionally require such information to be directly reported.…”

Section: Environmental Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our review suggests that data related to the withdrawal rates and volumes, FPW composition, and HF-related surface releases and contamination may substantially change over time and by geographic location, yet China lacks regulations and platforms for monitoring, recording, and reporting these data. Within the U.S. and Canada, several overlapping approaches provide data on water withdrawal and chemical use records for ongoing and future HF operations . As one response, the industry introduced FracFocus, which began as a platform for voluntary disclosure but has become mandatory in many North American states and provinces. , Other regulators, such as the Alberta Energy Regulator and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection additionally require such information to be directly reported .…”

Section: Environmental Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Comparison of the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle in China and North America: A Critical Review

Zhong

Zolfaghari

Hou

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is considerable debate about the sustainability of the hydraulic fracturing (HF) water cycle in North America. Recently, this debate has expanded to China, where HF activities continue to grow. Here, we provide a critical review of the HF water cycle in China, including water withdrawal practices and flowback and produced water (FPW) management and their environmental impacts, with a comprehensive comparison to the U.S. and Canada (North America). Water stress in arid regions, as well as water management challenges, FPW contamination of aquatic and soil systems, and induced seismicity are all impacts of the HF water cycle in China, the U.S., and Canada. In light of experience gained in North America, standardized practices for analyzing and reporting FPW chemistry and microbiology in China are needed to inform its efficient and safe treatment, discharge and reuse, and identification of potential contaminants. Additionally, conducting ecotoxicological studies is an essential next step to fully reveal the impacts of accidental FPW releases into aquatic and soil ecosystems in China. From a policy perspective, the development of China's unconventional resources lags behind North America's in terms of overall regulation, especially with regard to water withdrawal, FPW management, and routine monitoring. Our study suggests that common environmental risks exist within the world's two largest HF regions, and practices used in North America may help prevent or mitigate adverse effects in China.

show abstract

Section: Environmental Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle in China and North America: A Critical Review

Zhong

Zolfaghari

Hou

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Citizen science : the approach of using volunteers who are not employed in project at hand to gather scientific data that are used by scientists and regulators [ 52 , 79 , 80 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regulations must therefore be developed and enforced to minimize the potential impacts of UOG extraction on groundwater. Internationally, the most crucial regulatory shortcomings that must be addressed for groundwater resource protection during UOG extraction are the need for baseline data, managing the high volumes of water used and waste produced, and requiring public information disclosure of data that is presented in an understandable format and is transparent [ 13 , 25 , 31 , 33 , 36 , 52 ]. South African groundwater experts predominantly highlight the importance of baseline studies, regulatory enforcement, transparency, accuracy and the need for improved public information disclosure and public input [ 22 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gaps in regulations, such as dealing with wastewater handling, should be addressed. Examples of regulatory gaps are ample, for example in the US and Canada [50][51][52] and India [53]. In India, for example, only the inflow and outflow of groundwater are regulated for UOG extraction, but not groundwater recharge, excessive extraction or ecological impacts on groundwater during industrial extraction.…”

Section: International Regulatory Shortcomings On Groundwater Resourc...mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A mobile application to protect groundwater during unconventional oil and gas extraction

Worthmann

Esterhuyse

2022

R. Soc. open sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Unconventional oil and gas (UOG) is an important energy source for many countries, but requires large quantities of water for its development, and may pollute water resources. Regulations are one of the main tools to achieve government policy on natural resource protection. South Africa, which is energy-constrained, but also water-scarce, is currently considering UOG extraction as an additional energy resource. UOG development could commence as soon as regulations to protect natural resources such as water have been published. Such regulations are, however, often not effectively enforced, which negatively affects the protection of water resources during UOG extraction. This study addresses these enforcement challenges in South Africa. It focuses on the science–society–policy interface by proposing a civic informatics platform to assist with on-the-ground enforcement of regulations via a mobile application. This mobile application aims to address both groundwater monitoring and management as well as UOG extraction operations in a single platform, to enable regulators to protect groundwater resources more effectively during UOG extraction, while simultaneously enhancing transparency in the UOG industry.

show abstract

Emerging regulatory gaps in fracking-specific water security issues in India: Lessons from the United States ‘Shale Revolution’

Yadav,

Bhardwaj,

Sarangi

2024

Environmental Law Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

India has characterised shale gas as a transitional energy source and is planning to commercially scale the extraction of shale gas through hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Currently, India has announced 56 fracking projects spread across six Indian states. In doing so, exploration of shale gas resources has started in India. The regulations that govern conventional extraction processes are also applicable to fracking activities. The conflation of fracking with conventional drilling processes in India's regulatory approach may have implications for the country's water security, given the unique risks that fracking poses to water resources. This article analyses India's regulatory framework applicable to fracking-specific water (FSW) issues. In doing so, this article identifies four key paradigms of water security and maps these key paradigms with the US fracking experience, identifying four key FSW issues. Subsequently, this article evaluates if India's multilevel regulatory system regulates the identified four FSW issues. In conclusion, this research finds that before commercially scaling fracking operations, India must conduct a scientific inquiry on the impact of proposed fracking projects on its water resources. In doing so, it must re-examine its regulations at the federal and state levels to comprehensively cover FSW issues.

show abstract

Regulating Water Security in Unconventional Oil and Gas: An Introduction

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

Comparison of the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle in China and North America: A Critical Review

Comparison of the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle in China and North America: A Critical Review

A mobile application to protect groundwater during unconventional oil and gas extraction

Emerging regulatory gaps in fracking-specific water security issues in India: Lessons from the United States ‘Shale Revolution’

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About