Fracture lines : Will Canada's water be protected in the rush to develop shale gas?

Intensive drilling in northern British Columbia has resulted in unprecedented water withdrawals and even a bombing campaign directed against the Encana Corporation to protest the pace of development.12 Given the economic importance of the resource and growing concerns about industry’s use of and impact on water, this report examines the implications of shale gas production on Canada’s water suppli [...] When the cement reaches the bottom or shoe of the casing, it flows back up under pressure toward the surface on the outside of the pipe. [...] For example, in a recent letter sent to the head of British Petroleum by the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce following the explosion at the company’s offshore oil well in the Gulf of Mexico and subsequent uncontrolled release of oil and natural gas from the sea-bottom, the Committee commented on a number of apparent deficiencies in well design. [...] In a recent news report on what occurred in the aftermath of fracking at such shallow depths, Jessica Ernst, a biologist and environmental consultant to the oil and gas industry, reported drastic changes in her water and that of the nearby hamlet of Rosebud to the east of Calgary. [...] Created in the late 1990s to encourage the expansion of oil and gas exploration and development in the province, the OGC is described as a “one-stop shop” for regulatory review and approvals of energy industry projects.74.