3 After being released from beneath the rock, natural gas flows back up the pipe, along with some of the fracking fluid. In the span of one week, 11 to 19 million liters of fracking fluid, consisting of water, sand, and chemical additives, are pumped into a well to open and widen cracks in the rock deep underground. While fracking produces large volumes of natural gas, it also requires huge inputs of fracking fluids. Pennsylvania, Texas, Oklahoma and North and South Dakota have aggressively pursued the expansion of fracking, while New York has banned the practice due to concerns about the potential long-term impacts of exposure to pollutants that fracking releases into the water and air. Rather than creating an overarching policy, the federal government has left the regulation of fracking up to the states. Trying to balance the economic benefits of fracking with its health concerns raises important questions about how regulators should deal with the release of pollutants with unknown, but potentially serious, health consequences. 2 Although fracking shows economic potential, new evidence indicates people living near fracking wells may suffer long-term health effects. 1 The new technology has the potential to allow the United States to become a net energy exporter within a few years. In February of 2016, the United States was producing 92 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, much of it from fracking wells. The United States has experienced a fracking boom in the last decade. Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, is a drilling technique that allows the extraction of previously inaccessible natural gas from shale formations. Wheeler said the final results of his review should be out by May or June 2014.Arial view of a fracked landscape in Wyoming. “I think we have to sit down at the table and have a good discussion with the province in regards to what this review is seeing and the steps the province wants to take to move forward,” said Chief Gerald Julian.Ĭhief Julian also said any type of fracking that takes place in Nova Scotia without adequate consultation with the Mi'kmaq people opens the door to a court challenge. They said treaty obligations demand additional consultations beyond the current fracking review. Meanwhile, Mi'kmaq leaders said protecting the environment remains a top priority. Non-governmental organizations,industry workers will all be able to submit nominations for consideration to join our expert panel,” he said. Wheeler said the first step is to determine who will write the final report. “So we're due to announce in a couple of weeks what the detailed process will be, with all the deadlines for participation by the general public, and indeed experts and future panelists.” “The review is proceeding as planned,” said Wheeler. Wheeler, the president at Cape Breton University, and a newly-hired co-ordinator at the university's Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment have been designing the consultation process. Nova Scotia's review will assess the possible economic benefits, as well as the possible health risks posed by contaminated wastewater, or the impact of heavy truck traffic in remote areas. Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting a mixture of sand, chemicals and water into the earth under high pressure to fracture shale rock and release gas held within the shale that is otherwise inaccessible. “It would be hard to miss the events in New Brunswick, but I am keen to say that those events, although they're troubling for New Brunswick, don't actually affect our process or the design of our process at all,” he said. While protests against shale gas exploration continue in New Brunswick, the man in charge of Nova Scotia's fracking review says the process is still on track.ĭavid Wheeler said the violence around anti-fracking protests in Rexton won't change the review process.
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