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Hydraulic FracturingJana Rolland, Morgan Hamilton, Josh Medicoff, Morgan Teske, Ari
Getzlaf, Renne Baldwin, Kihan Yoon-Henderson, and Lucas Vianna
● 1947: First experimental hydraulic fracturing treatment
in the USA took place in Kansas
● 1980s-early 90s: Mitchell Energy and Development
Corporation successfully combines horizontal drilling
with hydraulic fracturing
● The combination has resulted in a rapid expansion of
the industry, or a “shale gas revolution"
1. Vertical wellbore is created
2. Once reaching a depth of
2500-3000 meters (~6000 feet),
the drill turns and extends
horizontally for ~1.5 km
3. When complete, perforating
guns create hole through the
well wall and into the shale
Process typically takes 4-5 months.
To create fractures, water
combined with proppants and
solvents are pumped through
the well at 5000 psi.
The process may be repeated as
many as 20 times in a single
well in order to access large
amounts of shale gas.
Major Arguments Pro:
● Abundance of supply
● Lower natural gas prices
● Cleaner environmental
footprint
● Economic development
opportunities
Anti:
● Technological sophistication
● Environmental degradation
(and related public health
concerns)
● Increased seismicity
● Unclear profitability
Economics Of Unconventional Natural Gas
BC Unconventional Monthly Raw Gas Production
Retrieved from:
https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/energy-sources-distribution/clean-fossil-fuels/natural-gas/shale-and-tight-resources-canada/british-
columbias-shale-and-tight-resources/17692
Increased Supply = Decreased Price
● Individual household: ~ $300 decrease
● Industry: cheaper production of
petrochemicals and agrochemicals
● Price decrease to industry felt by consumers
Monthly Average Natural Gas Spot Prices in Canada
Retrieved from: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/natural-gas-facts/20067
Job Creation In North Dakota in Relation to Fracked Oil
Retrieved from: https://www-annualreviews-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/10.1146/annurev-resource-100814-125023
Hydraulic Fracking, Environment, and Climate Change
The “bridge fuel.”
Josh Medicoff
Greenhouse Gas Emissions● Upon combustion, less
CO2
● Methane v. carbon dioxide
● 60% increase in US will displace coal and oil
● Methane, a problematic greenhouse gas
● Substantial fugitive emissions ○ Flowback period ○ Drill out ○ Venting/leaks
● 3.6%-7.9% CH4 emitted into atmosphere
Climate Change ● Downstream emissions lower than
oil and coal
● Danger of methane emissions ○ Short term ○ Long term
● Difficulty of tracking fugitive emissions ○ 1.5x - 5x higher than reported○ Tech innovation?
Fracturing site at Jonah field, Wyoming, USA,
Air Quality ● Lower downstream
emissions of ○ SO2; NOx; mercury
● Reduction in toxic coal ash
● Fewer secondary pollutants
● Upstream air quality
● Production of infrastructure worsens air quality
● Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emitted post-completion○ Benzene, toluene ○ Radiation
Induced Seismicity
The product is less CO2 emitting, but the structural conditions of
creating this product are worse.
● Earthquakes generated by reducing effective stress of a fault zone and releasing energy
● In fracturing, occurs by: ○ Hydraulic fracturing itself (less
intense) ○ Wastewater disposal (more
intense)
● Measures to reduce seismicity exist
Oklahoma, USA. Red -> seismic events, black -> wastewater volume. Scanlon et al.
Hydraulic Fracturing Water Use
Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016
Water Footprint
● Gas: 390,000 to 6.27 million gallons per well
● Oil: 70,000 to 2 million gallons of water per
well
● Since 2000 hydraulic fracturing has increased
use in oil/gas production from 2% to 50%
● Increase in water use per well rose by up to
770%
● Increase in production requires an increase in
water usage - predicted to significantly
increase w/ time
Distribution?
Source: Kondash, Lauer, Vengosh, 2018
Source: Piemonte, 2016
Wastewater ○ Previously injected hydraulic fluid
■ Proprietary chemical mix
■ Surfactants, biocides and even toxic
substances like volatile organic
compounds and carcinogens
○ Produced water = briny water that has long
been underground and comes up during
operation of the well
■ Salts, toxic elements, organic matter,
and naturally occurring radioactive
material Source: Canada’s Oil and Natural Gas Producers, 2017
Public Health Risks of Hydraulic Fracturing
Public Health Risks of Hydraulic Fracturing● Water contamination health
risks
● Non-contamination health risks
● Water scarcity considerations
● Governmental regulation and
risk avoidance potential
Rocky View Weekly (2013)
http://www.frackingcanada.ca/fracking-calgary/
Public Health Risk Via Water Contamination● How is the water
contaminated?
● Effects of Contamination
● Instances of
Contamination
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/global-warming/issues/fracking/environmental-impacts-water/
Public Health Risk from Other Fracking Implications● Fracking site dangers
● Air pollution
● Noise pollution
Komerek & Cseh, 2017
https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2016/12/22/noise-pollution-from-oil-and-gas-development-may-harm-human-health
Governmental Regulation of Public Health Risks● Regulation considerations
● Examples:
○ US
○ China
○ France
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2187718/chinese-demonstrators-rage-sichuan-government-and-blame-fracking
Political Aspects of FrackingRenne Baldwin
https://upfront.scholastic.com/issues/2016-17/022017/the-fight-over-fracking.html
https://thenarwhal.ca/what-is-fracking-in-canada/
Moratoriums aren’t as strong as they look
Indigenous sovereignty is not respected.
https://www.cgai.ca/first_nations_lng_canada_and_the_politics_of_anti_pipeline_protests
The United States exports more natural gas than it imports.
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=38152
“Together… we could be supplying friends and
allies… giving th
em an alternative to the kind of
oil they might buy th
at has strings attached,
whether it's Russian oil, o
r Saudi oil, or Iranian
oil or anyone else's.”
“Canada’s energy program can
compliment the US.”
- Christopher Sands
Case Study: Hydraulic Fracturing in British Columbia
& Treaty 8 territory
Background information ● BC produces 25% of all natural gas in
Canada, and Canada ranks 4th globally in
natural gas production
● In 2011, production of unconventional gas
surpassed conventional natural gas
production in the province
● Currently 85% of natural gas production in
BC is from unconventional gas sources
Source: BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, 2019
Conventional versus unconventional gas production in BC
Source: BCOGC, 2016 as reproduced in BC Ministry of Energy, Mines
and Petroleum Resources, 2019
Development of Hydraulic Fracturing in B.C.● Hydraulic fracking “boom” in Northeastern
B.C. beginning in the mid 2000s
● Rapid sale of petroleum and gas tenures by
the Province to industry
● 4 major shale gas “plays” in the Province:
○ The Horn River Basin
○ The Liard Basin
○ The Cordova Embayment
○ The Montney Formation
● These four major shale gas plays are located
within Treaty 8 territory
Source: BCOGC, 2018
Petroleum and natural gas
tenures on Fort Nelson First
Nation Territory, 2006
versus 2013
Source: Garvie, Lowe, & Shaw, 2015
Treaty 8 First Nations and Hydraulic Fracturing● The BC Oil and Gas Commission is
responsible for ensuring First Nations
rights are being respected
● Consultation takes place during the
permitting process on a permit by
permit basis
● BCOGC consultation has been
critiqued for:
○ Lack of a landscape view of the
cumulative effects of fracking
○ Not taking concerns raised by
Treaty 8 First Nations seriously
when making development
decisions
The Fort Nelson First Nation● Traditional territories contain 3 out of the 4
major shale gas plays (Horn River, Liard, &
Cordova)
● Experienced a rapid expansion of the
fracking industry
● Has expressed concerns over habitat
fragmentation, water acquisition and
contamination by the industry, air pollution,
community exposure to toxic substances,
threats to wildlife, and increased seismic
activity due to fracking Screenshot from Fort Nelson First Nation website - the
nation has many independent projects researching and
monitoring the effects of fracking on their territories
Fort Nelson First Nation, Fracking & Concerns over WaterWater acquisition:
● Concerns over withdrawals
○ Once water is contaminated,
cannot re-enter the system
○ Wastewater stored in deep
injection wells
● Successfully got Province to cancel
water license granted to natural gas
company Nexen
Water contamination:
● Lands Department has initiated extensive
water monitoring projects
● Community members no longer feel safe
drinking the water, or ingesting the animals
that drink the water => a threat to
traditional foodways
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6of6SAvFSvg
Blueberry River First Nation Cumulative Impacts Trial
“The territory that we live in, and that we, our parents and grandparents
have always relied upon is now so developed, it is becoming unrecognizable
to us. We have almost nothing left to pass on to our future generations.”
- Blueberry River First Nation statement re: cumulative impacts trial
Case Study
Hydraulic Fracturing in Pennsylvania
The Marcellus Shale● Located beneath Ohio, West Virginia,
Pennsylvania and New York.
Location of all hydraulic fracturing/ horizontal
drilling wells in PA (2014).
Source: Beleche and Cintina (2018)
● Northeastern PA has the highest
production potential for natural gas due
to the thickness of the Marcellus Shale at
this location.
● In PA, gas production from this
shale represents nearly 40% of total
hydraulic fracturing gas production
in the US.
● Estimates suggest the Marcellus Shale
holds about 410.3 trillion cubic feet of
natural gas.
Social Implications
● A significant increase in EIM has been observed within
the specific counties that fracking has occurred in.
Early Infant Mortality
Risk Ratio of EIM
Source: Bubsy and Mangano (2017)
● Evidence was found which supports the
contamination of drinking water by radioactive
material, including radium as a cause of the
increased risk.
● Babies born 4 years after fracking expansion
(2007-2010) in counties with most wells were
28% more likely to die in the first month than
babies born in those counties in the 4 years
before fracking began (2003-2006).
Jobs and Capital● Hydraulic Fracturing has created roughly
245,000 new direct and indirect jobs in PA.
Source: Sica and Huber (2017)
● 88% of the wells are owned by publicly
traded companies that distribute profits
through a global network of investors.
● While there are some marginal local
economic benefits (job creation), a
significant amount of wealth and profits
flows elsewhere and often out of the country.
● Fracking associated with lower unemployment,
higher labor force participation and employment
when comparing Pennsylvania to the state of New
York.
Conclusion