| Q-1522 — September 22, 2011 — — With respect to the development of unconventional gas resources, including shale, tight and coal bed methane, and its possible impacts on the environment: (a) what, if any, research has the government undertaken regarding the development of unconventional gas resources, (i) what was the scope of this research in the areas of, but not limited to, air quality, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem impacts, economic impacts, occupational risks, public safety concerns, and seismic risks, (ii) what, if any, resources did the government provide for this research, (iii) what, if any, process was established to ensure the independence of the researchers, their research, and their findings, (iv) what, if any, case studies were considered as a part of this research, (v) what, if any, scenarios regarding the development of unconventional gas resources were developed as frameworks for the research, (vi) what economic, environmental and social impacts were identified by this research, (vii) what, if any, priority research areas were identified for further study as a result of this research, (viii) what, if any, departments were involved in this research, (ix) what, if any, action was undertaken to ensure inter-departmental cooperation throughout the research process, (x) what, if any, gaps or weaknesses in the regulatory framework did the research identify; (b) what, if any, research has the government undertaken regarding balancing shale gas' potential contribution to energy security with environmental risks; (c) what are the sources of greenhouse gas emissions associated with unconventional gas; (d) has the government developed a process to determine the overall carbon footprint of shale gas throughout the life cycle of natural gas use, if not, why not, and, if so, (i) what federal departments are involved in this process, (ii) how does the government ensure inter-departmental collaboration on this process, (iii) what is the process, (iv) what, if any, data has been acquired and analysed through this process, (v) what is the government’s estimate of shale gas’ potential footprint in Canada; (e) what are the government’s calculations concerning how the overall carbon footprint of shale gas compares with conventional oil and gas for various end-uses; (f) what, if any, analysis has the government conducted concerning carbon capture and storage opportunities in the development of unconventional gas resources, namely analysis of (i) its feasibility, (ii) its cost-effectiveness, (iii) its reliability, (iv) liabilities that might arise from such strategies; (g) what, if any, research has the government undertaken regarding how effective well construction practices are at containing fluids and gases before, during, and after hydraulic fracturing, what are the dates of any such studies, and what were the results of this research; (h) what, if any, research has the government undertaken regarding well-bore drilling and sealing techniques and their reliability in containing hydraulic fracturing fluids and produced water from shale gas extraction, what are the dates of any such studies, and what were the results of this research; (i) what, if any, cases of gas bubbling (i.e. methane contaminating surface water) related to hydraulic fracturing have been reported, and what, if any, process is in place to ensure reporting; (j) what, if any, cases of drinking water contamination related to shale gas activity have been reported, and what, if any, process is in place to ensure reporting; (k) what are the potential impacts of the injection and fracturing process on (i) water availability, (ii) water quality, (iii) water quantity; (l) what, if any, studies has the government undertaken, for each of the issues listed in (k); (m) what are the potential impacts of pre-existing human-made or natural pathways and features on contaminant transport, (i) how is the concept of “acceptable risk” defined and determined, (ii) which wells, if any, have undergone a risk analysis, (iii) which wells, if any, have been found to exceed “acceptable risk”, (iv) what are the potential impacts on drinking water, (v) what factors may affect the likelihood of contamination of drinking water resources, (vi) what are the possible human health impacts of possible drinking water contamination, (vii) how effective are mitigation approaches in reducing impacts to drinking water resources; (n) what is the specific composition of hydraulic fracturing fluids, (i) what chemicals are non-biodegradable, (ii) how long does each persist in the ground, (iii) how are non-biodegradable chemicals tracked in groundwater, (iv) does the government currently undertake any such tracking, (v) what, if any, results are available concerning this tracking; (o) what steps is the government taking to ensure that the volume of water required for shale gas fracturing does not challenge resources in regions already experiencing water stress; (p) what is the composition and variability of flowback and produced water, and what does the government project will be the possible impacts of releases of flowback and produced water on drinking water resources; (q) what steps, if any, is the government taking to ensure that best practices are adopted by industry in areas including, but not limited to, well development and construction, especially casing, cementing, and pressure management; (r) have micro-seismic surveys been conducted to assure that hydraulic fracturing is limited to gas-producing formations; (s) what steps, if any, is the government taking to ensure (i) inspections at safety-critical stages of well construction and hydraulic fracturing, (ii) that operators take prompt action to repair defective cementing jobs; (t) what analysis, if any, has the government conducted concerning whether it should require that baseline water quality and quantity monitoring occur prior to the hydraulic fracturing process; (u) what analysis, if any, has the government conducted concerning encouraging or requiring producers of unconventional gas to use non-toxic drilling fluids; (v) what analysis, if any, has the government conducted concerning the implementation of proximal restrictions for both horizontal and vertical drilling with the aim of avoiding the potential for contamination of valuable water sources; (w) what analysis, if any, has the government conducted concerning strategies that would ensure that companies declare the type, concentration, and volume of all chemicals added to the hydraulic fracturing fluid; (x) what is the government’s assessment regarding whether the necessary resources exist to detect identified chemicals in water supplies should an incident lead to potential contamination of water resources; (y) what analysis, if any, has the government conducted concerning important landscapes, habitats, and migration corridors to inform planning, prevention, mitigation and reclamation of surface impacts; (z) what analysis, if any, has the government conducted concerning the need to limit drilling and support infrastructure in unique or sensitive areas; and (aa) what, if any, studies has the government undertaken regarding (i) the prospects for shale gas in Canada, (ii) Canadian shale gas estimates, (iii) Canadian exploration and production of shale gas, (iv) shale gas markets and prices, (v) the security of the supply of shale gas, (vi) government support for shale gas production, (vii) renewable energy sources in comparison with shale gas, (viii) the risks of rapid depletion of shale gas, (ix) regulatory challenges surrounding shale gas? |