Repository for Oil and Gas Energy Research (ROGER)

Abstract:
Although current environmental justice analyses shed light on fracking and fracking’s environmental and public health policy, a comprehensive justice analysis framework is needed in order to cover the policy gap of fracking impacts on the total environment, communities, and sustainability. Based on a concise summary of the effects of fracking on the total environment, the society and economy, and land use, this brief communication designs a conception of fracking equity and its spatial justice analysis prototype. Fracking equity is much beyond the scope of current environmental justice or social justice that is spatially limited within certain distance to fracking wells. Fracking equity based on the benefit and harm associated with fracking, not only encompasses environmental justice, social justice, but also emphasizes all stakeholder groups, the spatiotemporal characteristics of the justice of fracking, sustainable development, and the integrated analyzing methods including GIS, decision making, demographic analysis, spatiotemporal modeling at different scales, and long term analysis of fracking equity. Spatial justice of fracking unites the environmental, social, economic, ecological factors and their processes that are temporally changing and reshaping the space people live in and depend on, and these complicated factors and their dynamic interactions are the core of spatial justice.

Abstract:
Over the past decade, directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing enabled an unconventional oil and gas extraction (UOGE) boom in many regions of the United States, including parts of Pennsylvania. This revolution has created serious concerns about the capability of existing institutions to govern important societal outcomes associated with UOGE. We present a conceptual framework for assessing key societal outcomes influenced by UOGE governance. In applying this framework to Pennsylvania, we discern certain institutional strengths that have allowed the Commonwealth to reap appreciable short-term economic growth from rich resource endowments. We also find, however, that several institutional weaknesses have allowed costs externalized to the environment, public health, and community integrity to offset some proportion of those economic benefits. Likewise, we find that governance of UOGE in Pennsylvania has contributed to a bifurcated sociopolitical landscape wherein adversarial coalitions dispute the legitimacy of the industry and its governance.

Abstract:
Large firms are becoming increasingly dominant in the natural gas production industry. At the same time, regulators and environmental groups are concerned about potential environmental damage associated with hydraulic fracturing. However, small firms are protected from the full extent of their damages, while large firms must internalize a greater portion of their social costs. This paper examines the effect of firm size and liability on environmental safety in the context of hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale across three dimensions of size. Impacts of firm size on safety are found across legal, regulatory, and brand dimensions of size with the largest effects being driven by changes in regulatory liability. These safety gains are sizable as violation rates would be approximately twice as high if firms at remained at 2008 sizes.

Abstract:
This paper examines the impact of earthquakes on residential property values using sales data from Oklahoma from 2006 to 2014. Before 2010, Oklahoma had only a couple of earthquakes per year that were strong enough to be felt by residents. Since 2010, seismic activity has increased, bringing potentially damaging quakes several times each year and perceptible quakes every few days. Using repeat-sales and difference-in-differences models, we estimate that prices decline by 3–4 percent after a home has experienced a moderate earthquake measuring 4 or 5 on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Prices can decline 9 percent or more after a potentially damaging earthquake with intensity above 6. We also find significant increases in the time-on-market after earthquake exposures. Our findings are consistent with the experience of an earthquake revealing a new disamenity and risk that is then capitalized into house values.

Abstract:
[This article compares and contrasts the economic operations of the coal industry and the fracking industry in Northern Appalachia. Both of these fossil fuel industries brought a boom of employment to the region, but the implications for the region differ. For example, the coal industry built communities around it based off multi-generational employment whereas fracking is reliant on short-term fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) work arrangements. This article also discusses the environmental impact of both industries, as well as the lack of support for environmental regulation in the name of jobs.]

Abstract:
Hydraulic fracturing has made large reserves of previously unavailable unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources accessible. Despite the advantages of energy security and job creation, potential environmental and socio-economic risks are associated with the extraction of unconventional oil and gas. The impacts of UOG development occur on a regional scale and are cumulative, and are therefore best addressed strategically. A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is useful for integrating the environmental and socio-economic concerns linked to UOG extraction at the earliest appropriate stage of decision-making. This review elaborates on why a SEA is required for UOG resources development and also details the ideal SEA process for UOG extraction that will ensure saliency, credibility and legitimacy of the resultant SEA.

Abstract:
This paper investigates the political contestation over hydraulic fracturing of shale gas, or ‘fracking’, in the UK. Based on an analysis of four public inquiries we show how both proponents and opponents of fracking employed scaling to mobilize interests by connecting (or disconnecting) fracking to spatial and temporal scales. Our analysis explains how a fossil fuel hegemony was reproduced by linking local and specific benefits to nationally or globally recognized interests, such as, employment, energy security and emission reductions. The paper contributes to recent debates on environmental political contestation by showing how scaling enables the linkage of competing interests by alternating between spatial (e.g. local vs. global) and temporal (e.g. short term vs. long term) horizons. We argue that scaling allows dominant actors to uphold contradictory positions on climate change, which contributes to explaining the current disastrous political climate impasse.

Abstract:
The Shale Network is a group of stakeholders collating, publishing, and conducting research on water quality data collected in the northeastern United States experiencing natural gas extraction from shale using hydraulic fracturing. In developing the Shale Network, we have experienced reluctance to share data from all participating sectors. This paper explores this reluctance, identifying barriers to greater collaboration among multiple stakeholders in natural resource management projects. Findings are derived from participant observation of the Shale Network team, surveys conducted during Shale Network workshops, interviews with water quality stakeholders, and participant observation of water quality monitoring training sessions. The barriers identified include perceptions about data problems and quality, technical capacity, regulatory and legal limitations, competition for resources, and resource allocation decisions. This paper identifies strategies the Shale Network has used to overcome data-sharing barriers to expand a culture of data sharing that supports enhanced nature resource management and citizen engagement.

Abstract:
Who owns an area's natural resources affects the local financial gains from extraction and participation in resource governance. We develop a typology of ownership regimes using two dimensions of ownership, private versus public and local versus absentee, and apply it to unconventional natural gas development in the United Kingdom (UK) and the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. We find that local residents in Pennsylvania own 53% of the acreage leased for development and capture an estimated 8.5% of the value of production of the typical well, more than double what is expected from a well in the UK's public-absentee regime despite revenue-sharing policies. The dollar amount of local payments is also larger in Pennsylvania, with the difference reflecting policies and institutions, not differences in the value of production. The Pennsylvania case provides a benchmark for public-absentee owners considering policies to direct payments to communities hosting extraction: it gives the local payments corresponding to the case where subsurface owners voluntarily negotiate lease terms with energy firms and roughly half of ownership revenues accrue locally.

Abstract:
Food system and energy planners have given scant attention to the impacts on agrifood systems of a particular form of energy production—fracking—and its implications for planning and regulation. Impacts include those related to water availability and quality; land quality, use, and value; wildlife; labor costs; infrastructure and services; and the implications of boom and bust dynamics of these for the sustainability of agriculture and food systems. Planning is challenged by competing frames of economic and environmental benefits, lack of capacity, power imbalances, and sometimes state policy. This review maps research on these linkages, identifies elements of successful planning, and offers directions for future research.

Abstract:
The increase in unconventional drilling (UD) for oil and natural gas extraction—also known as fracking—in the United States has prompted a national debate with supporters and opponents who strongly defend each position. There are many important social, environmental, human health, and economic outcomes related to the practice of UD that have been the center of a debate about the practice. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the positive and negative effects of “fracking” on society at large using a social scientific framework. The first section outlines the process of UD and examines the health consequences of UD, the second section focuses on the consequences for the land and environment through interrelated policies, and the third section focuses on understanding the role of power and inequality on communities and individuals.

Abstract:

Abstract:
Mexico's recent energy reform (2013) has provided the foundations for increased private participation in attempts to offset or reverse the country's continued decline in fossil fuel production. This country is currently on path to becoming a net energy importer by 2020. Conversely, in 2015, and for the first time in over 20 years, the United States (US) became a net oil exporter to Mexico. One of the strategies being pursued by Mexico to prevent an impending supply–demand energy imbalance is the development of shale resources using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques. Hence, an evaluation of the inherent risks associated with hydraulic fracturing is crucial for Mexico's energy planning and decision-making process. This paper draws lessons from the recent ‘shale boom’ in the US, and it analyzes and summarizes the environmental, social, economic, and community impacts that Mexico should be aware of as its nascent shale industry develops. The analysis seeks to inform mainly Mexican policy makers, but also academics, nongovernmental organizations, and the public in general, about the main concerns regarding hydraulic fracturing activities, and the importance of regulatory enforcement and community engagement in advancing sustainability. Furthermore, using the US as a case study, we argue that development of unconventional oil and gas resources in Mexico could lead to a short-term boom rather than to a dependable and sustainable long-term energy supply. Our analysis concludes with a set of recommendations for Mexico, featuring best practices that could be used to attenuate and address some of the impacts likely to emerge from shale oil and gas development.

Abstract:
Energy development has been undergoing rapid changes in the area of technology development and adoption in recent years. New technologies are making previously unexploitable and uneconomical fossil energy sources to become technically feasible and profitable. However, there has also been a lot of controversies surrounding the utilisation of these new energy development technologies because of environmental and health consequences of using them. One of the new technologies creating a wave of controversies is hydraulic fracking process for shale oil and shale gas. This study examines the controversies surrounding shale fracking process and what needs to be done to address these issues. The study was based on literature reviews, observations at a fracking site, and conversation with people living in the neighbourhoods of fracking activities. Results of the study revealed a need to carry out lifecycle sustainability assessment of the fracking process for each site prior to the utilisation of the technology on the site. This article outlines the framework for lifecycle sustainability evaluation of shale gas fracking process for a site. It also identifies the problem of data gap and how the process could be made more sustainable. This would provide a decision support for sustainable exploitation of shale gas from any given site.

Abstract:
Oil and gas (O&G) production in the United States has increased in the last 15 years, and operations, which are trending toward large multiwell pads, release hazardous air pollutants. Health studies have relied on proximity to O&G wells as an exposure metric, typically using an inverse distance-weighting (IDW) approach. Because O&G emissions are dependent on multiple factors, a dynamic model is needed to describe the variability in air pollution emissions over space and time. We used information on Colorado O&G activities, production volumes, and air pollutant emission rates from two Colorado basins to create a spatiotemporal industrial activity model to develop an intensity-adjusted IDW well-count metric. The Spearman correlation coefficient between this metric and measured pollutant concentrations was 0.74. We applied our model to households in Greeley, Colorado, which is in the middle of the densely developed DenverJulesburg basin. Our intensity-adjusted IDW increased the unadjusted IDW dynamic range by a factor of 19 and distinguishes high-intensity events, such as hydraulic fracturing and flowback, from lower-intensity events, such as production at single-well pads. As the frequency of multiwell pads increases, it will become increasingly important to characterize the range of intensities at O&G sites when conducting epidemiological studies.

Abstract:
In this paper we summarize a number of risk pathway scenarios that are often claimed in literature as of priority for risk analyses in unconventional gas development. The resulting scenarios are structured in diagrams representing causal relationships between events. We argue that science is called to fill gaps regarding the main processes characterizing the involved events and defining the conditions under which their occurrence may be enhanced or inhibited. In this way, these scenarios can be more objectively parameterized, making their quantitative assessment a more feasible task and opening the way for the formulation of appropriate risk mitigation strategies.

Abstract:
New techniques of unconventional oil and gas extraction, such as hydraulic fracturing, challenge current political, institutional and administrative practices in how to regulate activities in the underground. Conflicts of interests between economic promotion, landscape and natural resource protection, and new trends on energy markets are further intensified by the fact that techniques of oil and gas extraction come with a considerable amount of uncertainties regarding ecological and health impacts. Information exchange is one important aspect of how political actors try to reduce uncertainties and conflicts. Based on exponential random graph models (ERGM) for network data, we analyze to what degree ideologies, public authority, existing collaboration and scientific expertise drive information exchange in hydraulic fracturing regulation in the United Kingdom. Results show that technical and political information exchange have to be disentangled, and that the former is driven by expertise and existing collaboration, the latter by ideology, public authority and existing collaboration.

Abstract:
In cooperation with The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, researchers at Colorado State University performed area noise monitoring at 23 oil and gas sites throughout Northern Colorado. The goals of this study were to: (1) measure and compare the noise levels for the different phases of oil and gas development sites; (2) evaluate the effectiveness of noise barriers; and (3) determine if noise levels exceeded the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission noise limits. The four phases of oil and gas development include drilling, hydraulic fracturing, completion and production. Noise measurements were collected using the A- and C-weighted sound scales. Octave band analysis was also performed to characterize the frequency spectra of the noise measurements. Noise measurements were collected using noise dosimeters and a hand-held sound-level meter at specified distances from the development sites in each cardinal direction. At 350 ft (107 m), drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and completion sites without noise barriers exceeded the maximum permissible noise levels for residential and commercial zones (55 dBA and 60 dBA, respectively). In addition, drilling and hydraulic fracturing sites with noise barriers exceeded the maximum permissible noise level for residential zones (55 dBA). However, during drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and completion operations, oil producers are allowed an exception to the noise permissible limits in that they only must comply with the industrial noise limit (80 dBA). It is stated in Rule 604.c.(2)A. that: “Operations involving pipeline or gas facility installation or maintenance, the use of a drilling rig, completion rig, workover rig, or stimulation is subject to the maximum permissible noise levels for industrial zones (80dBA).”[8] Production sites were within the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission permissible noise level criteria for all zones. At 350 ft (107 m) from the noise source, all drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and completion sites exceeded 65 dBC. Current noise wall mitigation strategies reduced noise levels in both the A- and C-weighted scale measurements. However, this reduction in noise was not sufficient to reduce the noise below the residential permissible noise level (55 dBA).

Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Higher risk of exposure to environmental health hazards near oil and gas wells has spurred interest in quantifying populations that live in proximity to oil and gas development. The available studies on this topic lack consistent methodology and ignore aspects of oil and gas development of value to public health relevant assessment and decision-making. OBJECTIVES: We aim to present a methodological framework for oil and gas development proximity studies grounded in an understanding of hydrocarbon geology and development techniques. METHODS: We geospatially overlay locations of active oil and gas wells in the conterminous United States and Census data to estimate the population living in proximity to hydrocarbon development at the national and state levels. We compare our methods and findings with existing proximity studies. RESULTS: Nationally, we estimate that 17.6 million people live within 1,600 m (similar to 1 mi) of at least one active oil and/or gas well. Three of the eight studies overestimate populations at risk from actively producing oil and gas wells by including wells without evidence of production or drilling completion and/or using inappropriate population allocation methods. The remaining five studies, by omitting conventional wells in regions dominated by historical conventional development, significantly underestimate populations at risk. CONCLUSIONS: The well inventory guidelines we present provide an improved methodology for hydrocarbon proximity studies by acknowledging the importance of both conventional and unconventional well counts as well as the relative exposure risks associated with different primary production categories (e.g., oil, wet gas, dry gas) and developmental stages of wells.

Abstract:
This article aims to account for the unexpected rise of community mobilization against hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in western Newfoundland, Canada, since 2012. The oil industry is a significant economic driver in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and historically there has been very limited organized local public opposition to oil extraction in the province. Moreover, the western Newfoundland region is characterized by economic hardship and limited experience mobilizing against development projects, factors unlikely to foster mobilization. Yet in 2012, highly organized, dynamic, and broad-ranging opposition to fracking arose in this region, contributing to the provincial government’s de facto moratorium on fracking and creation of an external review process, the result of which makes fracking unlikely in the near future. Drawing predominantly on fieldwork and interviews from across the region, we attempt to understand this rise of community mobilization first by referencing McAdam and Boudet’s (2012) framework, which explores the key variables of political opportunities, civic capacity, and community context. However, finding that this framework cannot fully account for the rise of mobilization in western Newfoundland, we discuss what we understand as the central factors in this case: the dynamics of local citizens building a globally informed yet locally resonant anti-fracking campaign. Keywords: hydraulic fracturing (fracking); oil development; community mobilization; Western Newfoundland; Newfoundland and Labrador

Abstract:
The shale gas revolution has resulted in a sharp growth in the number of researchers and collaborative work in this area, particularly during the past few decades. This study aims to provide unprecedented and invaluable shale gas information to businesses, policymakers, and any part of society involved in shale gas development. Using bibliometric and collaboration techniques, our study focuses (on an individual level) on the development trends in shale gas research. We examine the most influential authors and explore the characteristics and implications of collaboration networks and patterns in shale gas literature between 1990 and 2014. Much of our information was obtained from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database. Author collaboration analysis software that has been independently developed was used to further explain core author contributions and trends, as well as collaboration networks. We primarily focus on three research areas: (1) the quantity and growth trend of the number of authors exploring shale gas, (2) author productivity distribution, and (3) an analysis of author collaboration networks. First, our results reveal three developmental stages. The period from 1990 to 2008 was the early stage and characterized by steady development. The years between 2008 and 2013 witnessed rapid growth, before that growth slowed notably after 2013. The annual growth rate of the number of new authors was determined to be approximately 980%. This finding also indicates that shale gas is becoming a fast-developing and popular research topic. Furthermore, Horsfield B from the German Research Centre for Geosciences has been the dominant contributor to date, followed by Krooss BM and Ballice L. The top 15 authors are mainly from Germany, the USA, Canada, Estonia, Jordan, and China. Our collaboration network and pattern analysis reveals that the two biggest clusters of cooperation are comprised of Horsfield B and Ballice L. We also discovered that most authors have a specific collaboration, such as that between Williams PT and Jaber JO, both of whom are from the Al-Ahliyya Amman University.

Abstract:
The relationship between emphasis framing and public opinion has received considerable attention in political science, psychology, and mass communication studies. However, what moderating role perceived knowledge plays in influencing emphasis framing remains unsettled. We explore this relationship using a survey-experiment embedded within a large-N, nationally representative survey that allows us to test two specific hypotheses. First, we empirically test whether an emphasis frame influences policy support. Second, we test the moderating effect of perceived knowledge. We test the emphasis framing effects of the name given to a hot-button political issue, while controlling for other survey treatments. Furthermore, we evaluate the degree to which perceived knowledge of the issue moderates the relationship between the emphasis frame and support for hydraulic fracturing. We find support both for the role emphasis framing plays and for perceived knowledge as a moderator.

Abstract:
This article presents an overview of research focusing on how state and local governments have regulated oil and gas over the past decade following the expanded industry use of new technologies like hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and horizontal drilling. A consequence of fracking was a substantial increase in energy production accompanied by the emergence of policy concerns about how resource development and jobs could be balanced with efforts to maintain environmental quality. Researchers have dealt with three key concerns in the following sections: (1) determining whether state and local officials can each play an important role in developing policies affecting oil and gas drilling activities, (2) examining how state regulators deal with environmental and health impacts associated with fracking, and (3) looking at how state policy decisions have been shaped taking into account both state-level political and economic characteristics and agency resources and political will.

Abstract:
Purpose Following the boom of shale gas production in the USA and the decrease in the US gas prices, increasing interest in shale gas is developing in many countries holding shale reserves and exploration is already taking place in some EU countries, including the UK. Any commercial development of shale gas in Europe requires a broad environmental assessment, recognizing the different European conditions and legislations. Methods This study focuses on the UK situation and estimates the environmental impacts of shale gas using life-cycle assessment (LCA); the burdens of shale gas production in the UK are compared with the burdens of the current UK natural gas mix. The main focus is on the analysis of water impacts, but a broad range of other impact categories are also considered. A sensitivity analysis is performed on the most environmentally criticized operations in shale gas production, including flowback disposal and emission control, by considering a range of possible process options. Results and discussion Improper waste water management and direct disposal or spills of waste water to river can lead to high water and human ecotoxicity. Mining of the sand and withdrawal of the water used in fracking fluids determine the main impacts on water use and degradation. However, the water degradation of the conventional natural gas supply to the UK is shown to be even higher than that of shale gas. For the global warming potential (GWP), the handling methods of the emissions associated with the hydraulic fracturing influence the results only when emissions are vented. Finally, the estimated ultimate recovery of the well has the greatest impact on the results as well as the flowback ratio and flowback disposal method. Conclusions This paper provides insights to better understand the future development of shale gas in the UK. Adequate waste water management and emission handling significantly reduce the environmental impacts of shale gas production. Policy makers should consider that shale gas at the same time increases the water consumption and decreases the water degradation when compared with the gas mix supply. Furthermore, the environmental impacts of shale gas should be considered according to the low productivity that force the drilling and exploitation of a high number of wells.

Abstract:
Research across several decades has mapped the way complex environmental issues with complicated policy implications are often differentially framed within the media, public, and policy agendas with major implications for how they are understood, discussed, and decided. Building on this work, this this study compared news coverage of the debate over natural gas “fracking” in New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina between the period 2008 and 2013. Examining state newspapers, the analysis evaluated the types of sources used, the assertions of these sources, and how the issue of fracking was framed. From a general perspective, this study reveals how differences in framing of an environmental and scientific controversy can be attributed to the locally relevant sources used in reporting, as well as the political, economic, and social factors that might be unique to a state. Specific to the debate over natural gas “fracking,” this study adds to our understanding of how such state-based factors influence the portrayal of the issue in the news media.

Abstract:
As the largest shale gas resources holder in the world, China has set ambitious goals for its shale gas development. To better understand the environmental impacts and the net energy return of shale gas development in China, this paper develops a hybrid life cycle inventory (LCI) model to estimate the energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of China’s shale gas development, and presents an energy return on investment (EROI) analysis for estimating its net energy return. Results suggest a total average energy use per well of 123 TJ (range: 74–165 TJ) and total average GHG emissions per well of 9505 tCO2e (range: 5346–13551 tCO2e). Most of the energy use and GHG emissions are indirect impacts embodied in fuels and materials. Energy use and GHG emissions from the drilling stage comprise the largest share in both totals due to large amounts of diesel used as fuel in the well drilling process and the materials used in the well casing process. The EROI of China’s shale gas is estimated to be about 33 (range: 31–42), which is higher than China’s conventional oil & gas but lower than U.S. shale gas.

Abstract:
Extensive reviews and meta-analyses are essential to summarize emerging developments in a specific field and offering information on the current trends in the scientific literature. Shale gas exploration and exploitation has been extensively debated in literature, but a comprehensive review of recent studies on the environmental impacts has yet to be carried out. Therefore, the goal of this article is to systematically examine scientific articles published between 2010 and 2015 and identify recent advances and existing data gaps. The examined articles were classified into six main categories (water resources, atmospheric emissions, land use, induced seismicity, occupational and public health and safety, and other impacts). These categories are analyzed separately to identify specific challenges, possibly existing consensus and data gaps yet remained in the literature.

Abstract:
Shale gas and oil production and prospective development are increasing, but methods for shale extraction (‘fracking’) have been met with opposition. This study shows that informed discourse around shale development focussed on risks or doubts about benefits in a similar manner across the US and UK.

Abstract:
Background U.S. natural gas production increased 40% from 2000 to 2015. This growth is largely related to technological advances in horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing. Environmental exposures upon impacted communities are a significant public health concern. Noise associated with natural gas compressor stations has been identified as a major concern for nearby residents, though limited studies exist. Objectives We conducted a pilot study to characterize noise levels in 11 homes located in Doddridge County, West Virginia, and determined whether these levels differed based on time of day, indoors vs. outdoors, and proximity of homes to natural gas compressor stations. We also compared noise levels at increasing distances from compressor stations to available noise guidelines, and evaluated low frequency noise presence. Methods We collected indoor and outdoor 24-hour measurements (Leq, 24hr) in eight homes located within 750 meters (m) of the nearest compressor station and three control homes located >1000m. We then evaluated how A-weighted decibel (dBA) exposure levels differed based on factors outlined above. Results The geometric mean (GM) for 24-hour outdoor noise levels at homes located <300m (Leq,24hr: 60.3 dBA; geometric standard deviation (GSD): 1.0) from the nearest compressor station was nearly 9 dBA higher than control homes (Leq,24hr: 51.6 dBA; GSD: 1.1). GM for 24 hour indoor noise for homes <300m (Leq,24hr: 53.4 dBA; GSD: 1.2) from the nearest compressor station was 11.2 dBA higher than control homes (Leq,24hr: 42.2 dBA; GSD: 1.1). Indoor average daytime noise for homes <300m of the nearest compressor stations were 13.1 dBA higher than control homes, while indoor nighttime readings were 9.4 dBA higher. Conclusions Findings indicate that living near a natural gas compressor station could potentially result in high environmental noise exposures. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and evaluate potential health impacts and protection measures.

Abstract:
The hydraulic fracturing or fracking and extraction of shale gas is vital to the continued success of the human race to provide a relatively clean energy source. However, there are several environmental issues that must be solved in order to make fracking environmentally acceptable. Once these issues are resolved, it could lead to a brighter future by allowing shale gas to act as a bridge to clean energy, while providing energy independence for the United States. To achieve these goals, there is a need to find suitable solutions to the following problems: methane gas leaks while fracking and during production, trigger of earthquakes due to fracking, and the disposal of the wastewater (largely comprised of fracking fluid) after the completion of fracking. To investigate the aforementioned environmental impacts, comprehensive research was performed using data for the Marcella formation. Although it is clear that additional research must be performed to fully deal with all the issues, the following strategies have been found to solve or mitigate the problems. To prevent the impact of methane gas leaks, well workers must be properly trained and supervised. As another precaution to prevent the methane from contaminating groundwater, groundwater wells must be a minimum of 1 km away from the vertical section of fracking wells. To lessen the intensity and frequency of earthquakes caused by fracking, a regulation should be set in place that prevents disposal of wastewater by groundwater injection wells. In addition, the site should be checked for possible active and inactive faults before the approval of fracking. Finally, fracking companies must be required to withdraw most fluids from wells and to treat them according to state regulations and reuse or surface disposal as treated water. If all of these suggestions are implemented, fracking can be made much more environmentally viable and safe. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Abstract:
Article: The risks of hydraulic fracturing and the responsibilities of engineers

Abstract:
We estimate the likely physical footprint of well pads if shale gas or oil developments were to go forward in Europe and used these estimates to understand their impact upon existing infrastructure (e.g. roads, buildings), the carrying capacity of the environment, and how the proportion of extractable resources maybe limited. Using visual imagery, we calculate the average conventional well site footprints to be 10,800m(2) in the UK, 44,600m(2) in The Netherlands and 3000m(2) in Poland. The average area per well is 541m(2)/well in the UK, 6370m(2)/well in The Netherlands, and 2870m(2)/well in Poland. Average access road lengths are 230m in the UK, 310m in The Netherlands and 250m in Poland. To assess the carrying capacity of the land surface, well pads of the average footprint, with recommended setbacks, were placed randomly into the licensed blocks covering the Bowland Shale, UK. The extent to which they interacted or disrupted existing infrastructure was then assessed. For the UK, the direct footprint would have a 33% probability of interacting with immovable infrastructure, but this would rise to 73% if a 152m setback was used, and 91% for a 609m setback. The minimum setbacks from a currently producing well in the UK were calculated to be 21m and 46m from a non-residential and residential property respectively, with mean setbacks of 329m and 447m, respectively. When the surface and sub-surface footprints were considered, the carrying capacity within the licensed blocks was between 5 and 42%, with a mean of 26%. Using previously predicted technically recoverable reserves of 8.5×10(11)m(3) for the Bowland Basin and a recovery factor of 26%, the likely maximum accessible gas reserves would be limited by the surface carrying capacity to 2.21×10(11)m(3).

Abstract:
Vietnam is one of the most dynamically emerging countries in Southeast Asia and in the world. With the high rate of economic growth (average about 6-8% per year), the energy demand of Vietnam in the future will be huge. Vietnam's challenge for the upcoming period is to ensure energy resources for economic development, associated with sustainable development, environmental protection and to combat climate change. Therefore, selection and use of appropriate and effective energy is one of the important factors. In addition, the development of clean energy sources is essential in the future. In the present context, the developments of renewable energy sources and nuclear energy have various restrictions, while traditional energy such as coal and oil is being exhausted. Consequently, unconventional gas development can be a good solution for Vietnam in the future. In addition, the replacement of traditional energy sources such as coal and oil products plays a role in the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially in the power sector. This article will analyse the opportunities and challenges impacting upon the development of unconventional gas in Vietnam.

Abstract:
In this work, we propose a general modeling framework for the economic and environmental life cycle optimization of supply chains and product systems with noncooperative stakeholders. This framework is based on the functional-unit-based life cycle optimization approach and the leader–follower Stackelberg game structure to capture the decentralized feature and noncooperative relationships between multiple stakeholders across the product life cycle. The leader enjoys the priority of decision-making to optimize both its own economic performance and the life cycle environmental performance of the supply chain or product system. After the observation of leader’s decisions, the follower takes actions correspondingly to optimize its own economic performance. The resulting problem is formulated as a mixed-integer bilevel fractional program to account for conflicting objectives and interactions among different stakeholders. Design and operational decisions for both leader and follower are taken into consideration, including facility allocation, technology selection, production planning, transportation and storage scheduling, etc. To tackle the computational challenge of the resulting mixed-integer bilevel fractional programs, a tailored solution algorithm is developed based on a parametric algorithm and a projection-based reformulation and decomposition method. An application to a well-to-wire Marcellus shale gas supply chain is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed life cycle optimization modeling framework and the efficiency of the solution algorithm.

Abstract:
Beginning in the 1860s, fracturing was used to stimulate or rather shoot rock formations for oil production. To increase both initial flow and ultimate extraction, liquid and solidified nitroglycerin was used in these years. The concept of (hydraulic) fracturing with pressure instead of explosives grew in the 1930s. Beginning in 1953, water-based fluids were developed using different types of gelling agents. Nowadays, aqueous fluids such as acid, water, brines, and water-based foams are used in most fracturing treatments. The breakdown of the fluids to decrease viscosity is mostly carried out by use of oxidizing agents. Thereby, the technology is facing concerns regarding microseismicity, air emissions, water consumption, and the endangerment of groundwater due to the risk of perforating protective layers and the ooze of chemicals through the surface. Furthermore, particularly both cross-linking and breaking agents pose serious risks for humans respectively are environmentally hazardous in terms of eco-toxicity—while the degradation effect of common oxidizing agents is relatively low in cases of high-temperature fracturing treatments. According to our comparative viscosity tests, the viscosity of both common hydrogels with and without oxidizing agents can be reduced to the same level when heated to 130 °C or above. Furthermore, in both cases no non-Newtonian behavior could be observed after the temperature treatment (anymore). Therefore, we developed a hydrogel that allows for optimized cross-linking without toxic linkers and that can be dissolved without environmentally hazardous chemicals. Furthermore, it avoids the clogging of pores by hydrogel residues and improves oil and gas exploitation.

Abstract:
This special issue addresses hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction as an interpretive policy problem. Bringing together empirical cases from the U.S.A., the Netherlands, the U.K., Poland, and Germany, we identify three approaches to the interpretation of hydraulic fracturing in the article: understanding its meaning, contextual explanation of the institutionalization of its meaning, and policy design as intervention to alter its meaning. By exploring differences and similarities across these cases, we identified two central tensions in the meaning of shale gas in all cases: (1) economic opportunity or environmental threat and (2) transition toward a more carbon-free energy future or perpetuation of a fossil fuel system. We found that when actors shift the meaning of hydraulic fracturing to consider it predominantly an issue of threat, this explains the dominance of risk governance as an approach to managing the controversy. Alternately, when the meaning of fracking shifts from consideration as an economic opportunity or a bridge fuel to consideration of it as a barrier to an energy transition, this explains the decision to ban fracking. Therefore, a comparative assessment of the papers demonstrates the ways interpretive dimensions of politics can influence the governance of public policy.

Abstract:
There is at present much interest in unconventional sources of natural gas, especially in shale gas which is obtained by hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’. Boreholes are drilled and then lined with steel tubes so that a mixture of water and sand with small quantities of chemicals – the fracking fluid – can be pumped into them at very high pressure. The sand grains that wedge into the cracks induced in the shale rock by a ‘perforating gun’ then releases gas which returns up the tubes. In the United Kingdom (UK) exploratory drilling is at an early stage, with licences being issued to drill a limited number of test boreholes around the country. However, such activities are already meeting community resistance and controversy. Like all energy technologies it exhibits unwanted ‘side-effects’; these simply differ in their level of severity between the various options. Shale gas may make, for example, a contribution to attaining the UK’s statutory ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions targets, but only if appropriate and robust regulations are enforced. The benefits and disadvantages of shale gas fracking are therefore discussed in order to illustrate a ‘balance sheet’ approach. It is also argued that it is desirable to bring together experts from a range of disciplines in order to carry out energy technology assessments. That should draw on and interact with national and local stakeholders: ‘actors’ both large and small. Community engagement in a genuinely participative process – where the government is prepared to change course in response to the evidence and public opinion – will consequently be critically important for the adoption of any new energy option that might meet the needs of a low carbon future.

Abstract:
Innovation in energy technology is framed as having the potential to advance renewable energy technologies (RET) towards an environmentally and technologically sustainable energy system. Innovation, however, involves more than RET. New energy technologies include fossil fuels which contribute to a country’s ‘innovativeness.’ The ability of states to foster innovation rests on their regulatory capacity, social acceptability and underlying ecological perspective. In this article a theory of state innovation builds upon National Innovation Capacity (NIC), bringing together state regulatory capacity and the eco-sophistication of society to determine acceptable energy technologies. To frame this investigation, a case study is developed about Poland’s attempt to foster a shale gas industry. Poland is chosen as a case study due to its low ranking for innovation, weak RET deployment plans, and use of coal as a primary energy source; it is a ‘low achiever’ on a comparative basis of states with limited innovation capacity. Poland provides two lessons in relation to state innovation: a) Institutional and regulatory action is underpinned by ecological choices made by society influencing institutional and technology preferences; and b) technology cannot simply be bought and imported, but instead needs to be integrated into an existing NIC and a conducive regulatory system.

Abstract:
Driving up to Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC) near the Canadian border, the landscape changes and spans across the horizon. Leaving the plains of North Dakota and entering the hills known as the Turtle Mountains, one becomes surrounded by a deciduous forest, spotted with deer stands, fishing holes, mosquito havens, and secret berry-picking spots. It is here that the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (TMBCI) reservation is found. Located on the TMBCI reservation, TMCC has provided opportunities for all interested parties to learn about fracking and why the tribe banned it. Fracking has been a hotly debated topic within the TMCC community and has been researched and discussed by students, faculty, staff, and community members. Blue discusses educating about fracking at Turtle Mountain Community College.

Abstract:
China's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) envisages that shale gas and coal will be central to its energy future. However, for China to meet the energy security and climate change objectives set out in its 12th Five-Year Plan it will be reliant on the widespread commercial deployment of two key technologies; hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling for shale gas, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) for coal. China is moving to acquire these technologies through technology transfer and diffusion from the US, but progress has been slow, and neither is currently available in China on a commercial scale. Drawing on interviews in the US and China, this article argues that China's expectation of technology from the US may well be disappointed because of factors unique to the US institutional environment that have made the development of fracking technology possible and hinder the development of CCS technology at a commercial scale.Policy relevanceIf China is to meet the energy security and climate change objectives set out in its 12th Five-Year Plan it will be reliant on the widespread commercial deployment of fracking and clean coal technologies. While China expects to acquire these technologies via technology transfer and diffusion from the US, progress has been slow. Because of factors unique to the US institutional environment the availability of both technologies on a commercial scale in China is unlikely in the coming years. As a result, Chinese policy makers would be well-advised not to count on these technologies to meet their energy and climate goals.

Abstract:
Unconventional hydrocarbon applications have been growing rapidly in recent years. Unconventional oil can be produced from oil sands, oil shale, extra heavy oil, gas to liquids (GTL), and other liquids. Conventional fossil energy will not be enough to meet the continuously increasing need for energy in the future. In this case, renewable energy sources will become important. Conventional oil sources are currently preferred because they are less expensive than unconventional sources. New technologies are being developed to reduce unconventional oil production costs.

Abstract:
Following the shale gas boom in the United States, unconventional natural gas extracted from organic-rich shale rock formations has generated increasing attention in the European Union (EU). This considerable interest has been spurred by a range of optimistic volumetric appraisals of shale gas resource potential trapped beneath the European continent. The paper critically examines rationalities and practices through which states of resource availability and recoverability are made visible, measurable, intelligible, and thus rendered governable, namely open to new fields of possibilities to act upon. By implementing the concept of socio-technical imaginaries as governmentality approach, the analysis is guided by two objectives: first, to identify visions of shale gas potential contained in a range of resource estimates; second, to scrutinize rationalities of government, that is how shale gas resources are made knowable and purposeful, as well as technologies of government that operationalize these rationalities via practices of calculation, visualization, and inscription. The paper illustrates that, these highly speculative and uncertain assessments can forge powerful volumetric imaginaries of shale gas potential that yield specific governing effects concerned with securitization of unconventional hydrocarbons availability. Consequently, these imaginaries prescribe and legitimize techno-political hopes for certain post-conventional energy futures underpinning the fossil fuel abundance narrative.

Abstract:

Abstract:

Abstract:
The precautionary principle was developed in environmental politics as a guiding mechanism for governments where new technologies, products, and processes produced potential health or environmental problems but where scientific evidence could not explain why. Anecdotal evidence of fracking suggests that it might cause water pollution or subsidence, but the scientific evidence to support this proposition is not yet in place. This paper examines the actions of the UK and Dutch governments toward fracking. Although both governments have adopted the precautionary principle into national law, neither has directly invoked it in the field of fracking, relying instead on more conventional scientific understandings of risk. In line with other papers in Science and Public Policy, this article provides a comparative analytical analysis of scientific policy regulation. It does so by arguing that while notionally subscribed to the precautionary principle, the UK and Dutch authorities have been reluctant to use it.

Abstract:
The process of hydraulic fracturing for recovery of oil and natural gas uses large amounts of fresh water and produces a comparable amount of wastewater, much of which is typically transported by truck. Truck transport of water is an expensive and energy-intensive process with significant external costs including roads damages, and pollution. The integrated development plan (IDP) is the industry nomenclature for an integrated oil and gas infrastructure system incorporating pipeline-based transport of water and wastewater, centralized water treatment, and high rates of wastewater recycling. These IDP have been proposed as an alternative to truck transport systems so as to mitigate many of the economic and environmental problems associated with natural gas production, but the economic and environmental performance of these systems have not been analyzed to date. This study presents a quantification of lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and road damages of a generic oil and gas field, and of an oil and gas development sited in the Denver-Julesburg basin in the northern Colorado region of the US. Results demonstrate that a reduction in economic and environmental externalities can be derived from the development of these IDP-based pipeline water transportation systems. IDPs have marginal utility in reducing GHG emissions and road damage when they are used to replace in-field water transport, but can reduce GHG emissions and road damage by factors of as much as 6 and 7 respectively, when used to replace fresh water transport and waste-disposal routes for exemplar Northern Colorado oil and gas fields.

Abstract:
Modeling the proliferation of hydrocarbon wells across a landscape using logistic regression against landscape variables is a novel approach with significant potential to inform regional planning. However, any modeling study should incorporate the most relevant controlling variables, and as much data as possible about both the phenomenon and the controlling variables. Accurate and precise spatial correspondence between causes and the effect is a prerequisite for drawing conclusions from such an analysis. The analysis by Meng is an important step toward modeling hydrocarbon well proliferation as a landscape process, but a more fundamental understanding and more robust accounting of the factors that influence pad locations is required for a useful treatment of the subject. Although geology is one of the factors to be accounted, as Klein and Manda observe, regulatory and economic circumstances are more proximate drivers of pad-site selection.

Abstract:
When discussing the effects of resource extraction in rural communities, academics commonly focus on specific and concrete impacts that fall nicely into the categories of environmental, economic, and social – for example, effects on water quality, jobs, and roads. A less common way of conceptualising effects of extractive industries, but more akin to the way in which rural residents discuss and experience the complex set of effects, is changes to way of life. A growing literature explores effects on ‘wellbeing’ and ‘the good life’ as important determinants of responses to development projects, and as necessary considerations for policies regulating such development. One approach to conceptualising the good life – Aristotle's ideas of eudaimonia (human flourishing) and the pursuit of eudaimonia (perfectionism) – remains underdeveloped as a means for characterising how rural residents respond to natural resource extraction. We use the example of unconventional gas development (UGD) to illustrate how definitions of human flourishing – and perfectionist pursuit of that flourishing – strongly motivate support for and opposition to a contentious extractive industry in the rural communities where development is occurring or is likely to occur. This occurs through commitments to: a rural way of life, retaining local population, beauty, peace, and/or quiet. Approximately fifty interviews across six US and three Canadian communities support this vital role for conceptions of human flourishing. The import of human flourishing to members of the public, and of them pursuing that flourishing through perfectionism, has crucial implications for communication and policy related to extractive development. Policy makers need to consider how the public's definitions for flourishing shape their support/opposition, and not just to focus on the economic and environmental impacts commonly discussed in policy discourse.

Abstract:
The advent of new technologies such as directional drilling (D2) and the hydraulic fracturing technique (HFtech) has made it possible to enhance energy production from petroleum reserves. The procedures involved have however aroused public sentiments and triggered the debate on the economic importance of petroleum recovery processes. Public perceptions of the environmental health consequences of these processes have been fuzzy. Public survey was conducted using the United States as a case study to foster the development of the most effective policy relative to environmental health sustainability and energy independence. Participants (n = 1243) were surveyed on the prevalence and concerns for HFtech in proxy communities in 2015. Key to the perception inquiry was the knowledge of respondents on HFtech and the concerns relative to the exploration processes. Ordinal logistic regression and Poisson regression (Pλ) were used to interpret the responses obtained from the participants. The study determined mixed public view for HFtech based on the analyses conducted. Young men, on average, had the least degree of concerns, while older residents (60+ years old) are more inclined to have friends who support HFtech in the communities (p-value = 0.082). Through this study, a clearer global profile of perceived public risks can be developed in countries using HFtech, in determining risk acceptability and proper governance for shale gas development. The detailed survey carried out is important for the development of effective strategies for managing risky decisions to emerging energy development issues while balancing the need for a sustainable environment.

Abstract:
This paper is to explore the differences of the integrated value of shale gas development between the US and China. On the basis of an extensive literature survey and 17 in-depth personal interviewswith domestic experts, a fuzzy-AHP model is exploited herein to evaluate the development of shale gas in the US and China. The fuzzy-AHP model encompasses 21 indicators, which can be further categorized into 4 critical factors: (1) market prospects, (2) environmental impacts, (3) conditions of resource & occurrence, and (4) general conditions of extraction & utilization. Among the 21 indicators, market demand, cost and price, technologies, gas content, water contamination/supply, and policy contribute significantly to the integrated value of the model. According to the integrated value of the shale gas development in the US and China, the comparative analysis suggests that there is a large gap between these two countries. Furthermore, differences in shale gas development between the US and China are identified and reasons for these differences are analyzed. The US-China comparative analysis and the experience from US suggest that government policies will be crucial to determine the future development of shale gas in China and other countries.