in

Developing and enforcing fracking regulations to protect groundwater resources

  • 1.

    Tan, H., Xu, J. & Wong-Parodi, G. The politics of Asian fracking: public risk perceptions towards shale gas development in China. Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 54, 46–55 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  • 2.

    Mayer, A. Risk and benefits in a fracking boom: Evidence from Colorado. Extr. Ind. Soc. 3, 744–753 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  • 3.

    Aczel, M. R. & Makuch, K. E. The lay of the land: the public, participation and policy in China’s fracking frenzy. Extr. Ind. Soc. 5, 508–514 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  • 4.

    Connor, C. D. O. & Fredericks, K. Citizen perceptions of fracking: the risks and opportunities of natural gas development in Canada. Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 42, 61–69 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  • 5.

    Davies, R. J. et al. Oil and gas wells and their integrity: Implications for shale and unconventional resource exploitation. Mar. Pet. Geol. 56, 239–254 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  • 6.

    Jackson, R. B. et al. The environmental costs and benefits of fracking. Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour. 39, 327–362 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  • 7.

    Brantley, S. L. et al. Engaging over data on fracking and water quality: Data alone aren’t the solution, but they bring people together. Science 359, 395–397 (2018).

    CAS 

    Google Scholar 

  • 8.

    Vengosh, A., Jackson, R. B., Warner, N., Darrah, T. H. & Kondash, A. A critical review of the risks to water resources from unconventional shale gas development and hydraulic fracturing in the United States. Environ. Sci. Technol. 48, 8334–8348 (2014).

    CAS 

    Google Scholar 

  • 9.

    Kondash, A. J., Lauer, N. E. & Vengosh, A. The intensification of the water footprint of hydraulic fracturing. Sci. Adv. 4, eaar5982 (2018).

    CAS 

    Google Scholar 

  • 10.

    Rosa, A. L., Rulli, M. C., Davis, K. F. & Odorico, P. D. The water-energy nexus of hydraulic fracturing: a global hydrologic analysis for shale oil and gas extraction. 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1002/2018EF000809 (2018).

  • 11.

    Callies, D. L. & Stone, C. Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing. J. Int. Comp. Law 1, 1–38 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  • 12.

    Esterhuyse, S., Vermeulen, D. & Glazewski, J. Regulations to protect groundwater resources during unconventional oil and gas extraction using fracking. Wires Water 6, e1382 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  • 13.

    Bohlmann, H. R., Horridge, J. M., Inglesi-Lotz, R., Roos, E. L. & Stander, L. Regional economic effects of changes in South Africa’s electricity generation mix. Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA). ERSA working paper 756, 1–20. (2018).

  • 14.

    Nkosi, N. P. & Dikgang, J. Pricing electricity blackouts among South African households. J. Commod. Mark. 11, 37–47 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  • 15.

    IPCC. Summary for Policymakers: Climate Change 2021 The Physical Science Basis. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Full_Report_smaller.pdf (2021).

  • 16.

    IRENA. Global Energy Transformation: A roadmap to 2050. https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2018/Apr/IRENA_Report_GET_2018.pdf (2018).

  • 17.

    EC. Energy roadmap 2050. https://doi.org/10.2833/10759 (2012).

  • 18.

    Olivier, D. W., Xu, Y. & Olivier, D. W. Making effective use of groundwater to avoid another water supply crisis in Cape Town, South Africa. Hydrogeol. J. 27, 823–826 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  • 19.

    Hobbs, P. et al. Chapter 5 – Water Resources. In Shale Gas Development in the Central Karoo: A Scientific Assessment of the Opportunities and Risks. (eds. Scholes, R., Lochner, P., Schreiner, G., Snyman-Van der Walt, L. & de Jager, M.) 97–111 https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-799954-8.00005-8 (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, 2016).

  • 20.

    McGranahan, D. A., Kirkman, K. P. & McGranahan, D. A. Local perceptions of hydraulic fracturing ahead of exploratory drilling in eastern South Africa. Environ. Manag. 63, 338–351 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  • 21.

    Finkeldey, J. Unconventionally contentious: Frack Free South Africa’s challenge to the oil and gas industry. Extr. Ind. Soc. 5, 461–468 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  • 22.

    Atkinson, D. Fracking in a fractured environment: Shale gas mining and institutional dynamics in South Africa’s young democracy. Extr. Ind. Soc. 5, 441–452 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  • 23.

    Schreiner, G. et al. Evidence-based and participatory processes in support of shale gas policy development in South Africa. In Governing Shale Gas: Development, Citizen Participation and Decision Making in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe (eds. Whitton, J., Cotton, M., Charnley-Parry, I. & Brasier, K.) 149–167 (Routledge, 2018).

  • 24.

    Republic of South Africa. Supreme court of appeal judgment—Minister of Mineral Resources v Stern and Others; Treasure the Karoo Action Group and Another v Department of Mineral Resources and Others (1369/2017; 790/2018) [2019] ZASCA 99; [2019] 3 All SA 684 (SCA) (4 July 2019). (2019).

  • 25.

    Gorski, J. & Trenorden, C. The EU and regulation of the shale industry: where do we stand now? Oil gas. law N. 5, 20–25 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  • 26.

    Gorski, J. & Trenorden, C. Maximizing the EU shale gas potential by minimizing its environmental footprint. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3070722 (2018).

  • 27.

    Williamson, R. & Esterhuyse, S. Expected wastewater volumes associated with unconventional oil and gas exploitation in South Africa and the management thereof. Bull. Eng. Geol. Environ. 79, 711–728 (2020).

  • 28.

    Webb, R. M. Changing Tides in Water Management: Policy Options to Encourage Greater Recycling of Fracking Wastewater. William Mary Environ. Law Policy Rev. 42, 85–143 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  • 29.

    Brady, W. J. & Crannell, J. P. Hydraulic Fracturing Regulation in the United States: The Laissez-Faire Approach of the Federal Government and Varying State Regulations. Vt. J. Environ. Law 14, 40–68 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  • 30.

    Tan, P.-L., George, D. & Comino, M. Cumulative risk management, coal seam gas, sustainable water, and agriculture in Australia. Int. J. Water Resour. Dev. 31, 682–700 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  • 31.

    Esterhuyse, S. Developing a groundwater vulnerability map for unconventional oil and gas extraction: a case study from South Africa. Environ. Earth Sci. 76, 626 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  • 32.

    Esterhuyse, S. et al. Development of an interactive vulnerability map and monitoring framework to assess the potential environmental impact of unconventional oil and gas extraction by means of hydraulic fracturing. (Water Research Commission, 2014).

  • 33.

    Buono, R. M., Mayor, B. & López-Gunn, E. A comparative study of water-related issues in the context of hydraulic fracturing in Texas and Spain. Environ. Sci. Policy 0–1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2017.12.006 (2017).

  • 34.

    Fink, E. Dirty little secrets: fracking fluids, dubious trade secrets, confidential contamination, and the public health information vacuum. Fordham Intellect. Prop. Media Entertain. Law J. 29, 971–1023 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  • 35.

    Becklumb, P., Chong, J. & Williams, T. Shale Gas in Canada: Environmental Risks and Regulation. https://lop.parl.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/2015-18-e.pdf (2015).

  • 36.

    Ingelson, A. & Hunter, T. A Regulatory Comparison of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Disclosure Regimes in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Nat. Resour. J. 54, 217–253 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  • 37.

    EPA. Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas: Impacts from the Hydraulic Fracturing. EPAs Study of Hydraulic Fracturing and Its Potential Impact on Drinking Water Resources (2016).

  • 38.

    National Acadamies Press. Onshore Unconventional Hydrocarbon Development: Legacy Issues and Innovations in Managing Risk Day 1: Proceedings of a Workshop. https://doi.org/10.17226/25083 (2018).

  • 39.

    Centre for Environmental Rights. Minimum requirements for the regulation of the environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing—A position statement. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CER-Minimum-Requirements-for-the-Regulation-of-the-Environmental-Impacts-of-Fracking-Web.pdf (2014).

  • 40.

    Jackson, R. B. The integrity of oil and gas wells. PNAS 10–11 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1410786111 (2014).

  • 41.

    Esterhuyse, S., Kemp, M. & Redelinghuys, N. Assessing the existing knowledge base and opinions of decision makers on the regulation and monitoring of unconventional gas mining in South Africa. Water Int. 38, 687–700 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  • 42.

    Lin, A. China: Replacing coal with shale gas. Could reducing China’s regional air pollution lead to more local pollution in rural China? In The Shale Dilemma: A Global Perspective on Fracking and Shale Development (ed. Gamper-Rabindran, S.) 267–304 (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018).

  • 43.

    Guo, M. et al. Prospects for shale gas production in China: Implications for water demand. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 66, 742–750 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  • 44.

    Thomas, M., Partridge, T., Harthorn, B. H. & Pidgeon, N. Deliberating the perceived risks, benefits, and societal implications of shale gas and oil extraction by hydraulic fracturing in the US and UK. Nat. Energy 2, 17054 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  • 45.

    Kinne, B. Regulating unconventional shale gas in the United States: Diverging priorities, overlapping jurisdictions, and asymmetrical data access. In Governing shale gas: Development, citizen participation and decision-making in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe (eds. Whitton, J., Cotton, M., Charnley-Parry, I. M. & Brasier, K.) 23–36 (Routledge, 2018).

  • 46.

    Mcintosh, J. et al. A critical review of state-of-the-art and emerging approaches to identify fracking-derived gases and associated contaminants in aquifers. Environ. Sci. Technol. 53, 1063–1077 (2019).

    CAS 

    Google Scholar 

  • 47.

    Worrall, F., Davies, J. & Hart, A. Dynamic baselines for the detection of water quality impacts – the case of shale gas development. Environ. Sci. Process. impacts Qual. impacts 23, 1116–1129 (2021).

    CAS 

    Google Scholar 

  • 48.

    King, R. We Need a Fracking Baseline. La. Law Rev. 77, 545–584 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  • 49.

    Daily, T. A. Rules Done Right: How Arkansas Brought Its Oil and Gas Law into a Horizontal World. Ark. Law Rev. 68, 259–294 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  • 50.

    Brownlow, J., Yelderman, J. C. & James, S. C. Spatial Risk Analysis of Hydraulic Fracturing near Abandoned and Converted Oil and Gas wells. Groundwater 55, 268–280 (2017).

    CAS 

    Google Scholar 

  • 51.

    Cobbing, J. E., Eales, K., Gibson, J., Lenkoe, K. & Cobbing, B. Operation and maintenance (O&M) and the perceived unreliability of domestic groundwater supplies in South Africa. South Afr. J. Geol. 118, 17–32 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  • 52.

    Gaye, C. B. & Tindimugaya, C. Review: challenges and opportunities for sustainable groundwater management in Africa. Hydrogeol. J. 27, 1099–1110 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  • 53.

    Department of Water and Sanitation. National groundwater strategy draft. (Department of Water and Sanitation, 2016).

  • 54.

    Hohne, D., de Lange, F., Esterhuyse, S. & Sherwood-Lollar, B. Case study: methane gas in a groundwater system located in a dolerite ring structure in the Karoo Basin; South Africa. South Afr. J. Geol. 122, 357–368 (2019).

    CAS 

    Google Scholar 

  • 55.

    Eymold, W. K. et al. Hydrocarbon-Rich Groundwater above Shale-Gas Formations: A Karoo Basin Case Study. Groundwater 56, 1–21 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  • 56.

    Cramer, B. What the frack? How weak industrial disclosure rules prevent public understanding of chemical practices and toxic politics. South. Calif. Interdiscip. Law J. 25, 67–105 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  • 57.

    Centner, T. J. & Eberhart, N. S. The use of best management practices to respond to externalities from developing shale gas resources. J. Environ. Plan. Manag. 59, 746–768 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  • 58.

    Kinchy, A. & Schaffer, G. Disclosure Conflicts: Crude Oil Trains, Fracking Chemicals, and the Politics of Transparency. Sci. Technol. Hum. values 43, 1011–1038 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  • 59.

    Weible, C. M. et al. An Institutional and Opinion Analysis of Colorado’s Hydraulic Fracturing Disclosure Policy. J. Environ. Policy Plan. 19, 115–134 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  • 60.

    Rawlins, R. Planning for Fracking on the Barnett Shale: Soul and Water Contamination Concerns, and the Role of Local Government. Envtl. L 44, 135–199 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  • 61.

    Holding, S., Allen, D. M., Notte, C. & Olewiler, N. Enhancing water security in a rapidly developing shale gas region. J. Hydrol. Reg. Stud. 11, 266–277 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  • 62.

    Schreurs, M. A. Germany: The German Energiewende and the decision to ban unconventional hydraulic fracturing. In The shale dilemma: A global perspective on fracking and shale development (ed. Gamper-Rabindran, S.) 231–266 (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018).

  • 63.

    Farah, P. D. & Tremolada, R. A Comparison between Shale Gas in China and Unconventional Fuel Development in the United States: Health, Water and Environmental Risks. Brooklyn J. Int. Law 41, 1–46 (2016).

  • 64.

    Notte, C., Allen, D. M., Gehman, J., Alessi, D. S. & Goss, G. G. Comparative analysis of hydraulic fracturing wastewater practices in unconventional shale developments: Regulatory regimes. Can. Water Resour. J. 42, 122–137 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  • 65.

    Wiseman, H. J. State Enforcement of Shale Gas Development Regulations, Including Hydraulic Fracturing. Ssrn https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1992064 (2012).

  • 66.

    Eaton, T. T. Science-based decision-making on complex issues: Marcellus shale gas hydrofracking and New York City water supply. Sci. Total Environ. 461–462, 158–169 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  • 67.

    Gagnon, G. A. et al. Impacts of hydraulic fracturing on water quality: a review of literature, regulatory frameworks and an analysis of information gaps. Environ. Rev. 24, 122–131 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  • 68.

    Centner, T. J. & Connell, L. K. O. Unfinished business in the regulation of shale gas production in the United States. Sci. Total Environ. 476, 359–367 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  • 69.

    Lenhard, L. G., Andersen, S. M. & Coimbra-Araújo, C. H. Energy-Environmental Implications Of Shale Gas Exploration In Paraná Hydrological Basin, Brazil. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 90, 56–69 (2018).

    CAS 

    Google Scholar 

  • 70.

    Saulino, M. F. Argentina: Energy extraction in communities. Can shale development proceed without causing pollution and conflicts? In The shale dilemma: A global perspective on fracking and shale development (ed. Gamper-Rabindran, S.) 305–341 (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018).

  • 71.

    Wiseman, H. J. The Capacity of States to Govern Shale Gas Development Risks. Environ. Sci. Technol. 48, 8376–8387 (2014).

    CAS 

    Google Scholar 

  • 72.

    Hull, E. & Evensen, D. Just environmental governance for shale gas? Transitioning towards sustainable local regulation of fracking in Spain. Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 59, 101307 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  • 73.

    DiGiulio, D. C., Shonkoff, S. B. C. & Jackson, R. B. The need to protect fresh and brackish groundwater resources during unconventional oil and gas development. Curr. Opin. Environ. Sci. Heal. 3, 1–7 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  • 74.

    Angeles, A. Reforming Natural Gas Fracking Regulations in 2017–2018: How Should States Enforce Regulations? Environ. Claims J. 30, 251–272 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  • 75.

    Mukherjee, N. et al. Comparison of techniques for eliciting views and judgements in decision-making. Methods Ecol. Evol. 9, 54–63 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  • 76.

    Baker, E., Bosetti, V., Jenni, K. E. & Ricci, E. C. Facing the experts: Survey mode and expert elicitation. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2384487 (2014).

  • 77.

    Redelinghuys, N. Effects on communities: The social frabric, local livelihoods and the social psyche. In Hydraulic Fracturing in the Karoo: Critical Legal and Environmental Perspectives (eds. Glazewski, J. & Esterhuyse, S.) 345–365 (JUTA, 2016).

  • 78.

    Young, J. C. et al. A methodological guide to using and reporting on interviews in conservation science research. Methods Ecol. Evol. 9, 10–19 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  • 79.

    Morgan, M. G. Use (and abuse) of expert elicitation in support of decision making for public policy. PNAS 111, 7177–7184 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  • 80.

    DWA (Department of Water Affairs). Groundwater strategy 2010. (DWA (Department of Water Affairs), 2010).


  • Source: Resources - nature.com

    Ectomycorrhizal fungi mediate belowground carbon transfer between pines and oaks

    Bringing climate reporting to local newsrooms