The USA and Europe are not the only places where fracking is a hot topic. Our Canadian friends are also grappling with the issue.
The CWN has its Hydraulic Fracturing Initiative. Here is a news release.
From the CWN site:
CWN recognizes the need for scientific knowledge to inform and support decision-making across sectors. With the potential for rapid expansion of the hydraulic fracturing industry, there are many knowledge gaps surrounding the impacts of the practice on water resources and the effectiveness of technologies and approaches to mitigate impacts. CWN is laying the groundwork to move research on hydraulic fracturing and water forward to directly address the needs of government and industry decision-makers in this complex area.
We are funding national multidisciplinary academic teams to evaluate research approaches that could be applied to strengthen decision-making.
The knowledge integration projects will address information gaps in the following issue areas:
- Water use and demand management;
- Wastewater handling, treatment and disposal;
- Groundwater and subsurface impact issues;
- Landscape impacts of development/operations on surface water/watersheds; and
- Watershed governance and management approaches for resource development, including aboriginal issues.
The project teams will draw upon leading international research and bring together researchers from multiple scientific disciplines at 18 universities, along with 20 partners, including First Nations organizations, government, industry and non-governmental organizations. Stakeholders from across Canada will come together to discuss how research can address water issues related to hydraulic fracturing.
Check out the five research projects just funded by the Canadian Water Network.
Munk School Conference - Toronto
I just got an email from the good folks at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs - The Program on Water Issues (POWI), headed by Adèle Hurley - announcing an upcoming fracking conference.
On 29 May 2014 in Toronto the POWI will convene and webcast a one-day meeting on Water and Hydraulic Fracturing in Canada: Information for Investors and Everyone Else.
Description:
This conference brings together scientists, the investment community, industry, academia and First Nations to discuss key issues relating to shale energy development including the relationship between water risk and hydraulic fracturing, transparency and disclosure to minimize water risks, and the future of hydraulic fracturing in Canada.
Agenda:
Download Water-and-Hydraulic-Fracturing-Agenda-FINAL-May20
The conferences and webcast are free; the webcast covers the entire day's events. Check out the invitation below or the website.
Download WaterAndHydraulicFracturing-Invite-May29-Final
And if that's not enough to frack your rocks I also learned from the POWI folks that the Council of Canadian Academies recently issued a report on the Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction in Canada.
Full report:
Download Shalegas_fullreporten_CCA
Executive summary:
Abridged report:
New release and backgrounder:
Dr. John A. Cherry chaired the panel that authored the reoprt and he will also keynote the POWI meeting on 29 May 2014.
Here is a report description from the website:
The North American energy landscape is undergoing dramatic
change. Unconventional oil and gas resources are fuelling an energy boom that is having profound economic, environmental, and social impacts across much of the continent, including Canada. At the forefront of this change is shale gas, which has been characterized as a “game changer” because it is abundant, often close to major markets, and relatively inexpensive to produce. Understanding potential impacts is critical for policy makers as they consider how best to manage this resource.
This report comes at the request of Environment Canada, which asked the Council to assemble a multidisciplinary expert panel to consider the state of knowledge of potential environmental impacts from the exploration, extraction, and development of Canada’s shale gas resources. The Council’s report presents a comprehensive examination of shale gas development in Canada. It does not, however, determine the safety, nor the economic benefits, of development. It reviews the use of new and conventional technologies in shale gas extraction, and examines several issues of concern including potential impacts on surface water and groundwater, greenhouse gas emissions, cumulative land disturbance, and human health. The report also outlines approaches for monitoring and research, as well as mitigation and management strategies.
Although the technologies and techniques used in extracting shale gas are understood, more research and information is needed on the potential environmental impacts that could result from this process. In Canada, shale gas development has moved forward in British Columbia and Alberta while potential development is still being explored in Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Unlike the United States, Canadian development has moved at a slower pace. This slower pace of development presents a unique opportunity for Canada to take the time to explore and determine the proper management practices to develop its shale gas resources responsibly.
For Canada, regional context matters. Environments, ecosystems, geographies, and geologies are not uniform across the country. Therefore, consideration of different potential regional impacts need to be closely considered when determining the suitability for shale gas development.
Overall, the Panel found that well-targeted science is required to ensure a better understanding of the environmental impacts of shale gas development. Currently, data about environmental impacts are neither sufficient nor conclusive.
The Panel’s assessment focused on a number of environmental impacts. They include:
- Well Integrity
- Water (groundwater and surface)
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Land Impacts and Seismic Events
- Human Health
- Monitoring and Research
Good reading and sure looks like a great conference!
"You can't catch skunks with mice." - Canadian proverb
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