Agency promotes global shale gas standards
Updated 10:34 pm, Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The International Energy Agency called Tuesday for global standards on shale gas production to mitigate environmental effects and stem public opposition.
The independent organization said the world is on the cusp of a "golden age of gas" that could be hampered by environmental and health concerns fueled by rapid expansion of the fossil fuel's production.
North America has been the epicenter of the rush to produce natural gas from dense shale rock. The shale gas boom has unleashed massive amounts of cheap gas onto the market and driven economic and job growth in some communities. But concerns about air and water pollution have followed the industry globally, leading to effective bans on shale gas production in some places.
The Paris-based agency called for governments and the industry to better measure environmental impacts of shale gas production, promote full transparency about the practice and improve communication with affected communities.
Adopting industrywide best practices could lead to a 55 percent growth in natural gas production by 2035, according to the agency's report. Failure to meet the standards, however, could escalate opposition and "halt the unconventional gas revolution in its tracks," IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven said in a written statement.
"The industry must win public confidence by demonstrating exemplary performance," she said. "Governments must ensure that appropriate policies and regulatory regimes are in place."
In the U.S., a handful of federal regulations are on the horizon governing hydraulic fracturing, a shale production technology that injects water, sand and chemicals into a formation to force out gas.
The measure would set new well construction standards and force companies to disclose the chemicals they use on the sites. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency is drafting guidelines for the disposal of wastewater from the sites.
Chris Tucker, a spokesman for industry group Energy in Depth, said oil and gas businesses can meet standards set by regulators in the U.S.
"We agree with the agency that the technology needed to do this work responsibly both already exists and is currently being deployed," Tucker said in an emailed response to the Chronicle.
"The key task ahead of us now is delivering that technology safely around the world and
doing so in a way that meets and exceeds regu-latory standards and expectations wherever
we go," Tucker added.
Meanwhile environmental groups said the IEA's guidelines don't go far enough. Greenpeace chastised the agency for trumpeting the benefits of shale gas while acknow-ledging that the environmental impact isn't fully understood.
Amy Mall, senior policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the agency's standards were a good start but couldn't have an effect without broad acceptance.
"The principles are not sufficient," Mall said. "We need very strong regulations on the books that make the practices mandatory."