One of the major challenges to the expansion of a shale revolution around the world is its environmental consequences, which have not been yet clearly defined by scientific institutions. Unless environmental hazards caused by shale production are clarified, a global shale revolution will have a hard time prospering in the years to come. These issues include: water and air contamination, earthquakes and human health risks.
Even though some comprehensive studies have been conducted by United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as by the European Union鈥檚 Economic and Scientific Policy Departments to discover the potential environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas, none of these studies have clearly indicated major negative impacts of fracturing on the environment. Some EPA-led studies look at the potential impact on water sources, air quality, the increased risk of seismic shocks and the negative effects on human health.
Critics of the shale revolution have been mainly concerned about the vast amount of fresh water being used during the shale extraction process. In conventional wells, production of crude oil usually requires 1,000 cubic meters of water, whereas in shale production a single well can consume up to 25,000 cubic meters of fresh water.
In the process, fresh water is mixed with sand and chemicals before being injected into the well bore to break-up the gas and oil-bearing shale rocks. After this injection, some evidence unfolded indicating that this contaminated water leaked into the aquifer, the drinking water that people depend on. Since the quality of drinking water supplies is principally based on aquifers, concerns have been raised about the future of public health. Indeed, these concerns are particularly significant given the exemption of shale exploration from the Energy Policy Act 2005 and the Clean Water Act, where explicit trust has been placed on shale producers to treat the environment in a responsible manner. However, the catastrophic Macondo spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 raised questions as to whether energy companies can be trusted without being regulated in this area.
To address these environmental concerns, the Obama administration set regulations for hydraulic fracturing on March 20, 2015, a process, which, it is hoped, will help the shale industry to continue to produce. The regulations will be applied on the issue of water contamination as well as production in federal and private lands. It is thought that such regulations will be particularly effective on small energy companies rather than bigger ones, as World Street Journal鈥檚 Amy Harder puts it, because 鈥渕any of the larger companies have already implemented similar practices and likely won鈥檛 feel much of a pinch.鈥�
Some of these practices demonstrate the industry鈥檚 ability to mitigate and contain some environmental risks. Pollution of water resources can be diminished by carefully cementing the shale wells. The leakage of one of the greenhouse gases, methane, can also be prevented 鈥渂y testing and repairing pressure safety valves鈥� according to Bradley Olson from Bloomberg. Mapping deep-rock formations would certainly give advantages in lessening the risk of causing earthquakes.
Since one third of water that is used for shale oil and gas production returns to the surface, a tremendous amount of water that is used for production can be recycled. Additionally, a technique called 鈥渟lick water fracturing鈥� could be adopted, which consumes much less water than other practices. Drilling techniques called 鈥減ads鈥� allows a number of wells to be drilled from one spot and is likely to contribute to water conservation. Alternatively, though expensive, a foam or gel could be used instead of water in the fracking process, cutting back on water waste.聽
With these measures, the perception of shale production in the public鈥檚 eye will be improved, and a number of environmental concerns will be eradicated. Once major environmental concerns are met, it is more than likely that the shale revolution will reshape the global energy market by increasing energy security and contributing to the affordability of energy resources in the long-term.