By Nelson Bennett
Nov. 3, 2015, Midnight
Gas wells pose little environmental threat, updated Fraser Institute report concludes
Should a liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry take off in the province, the amount of hydraulic fracturing in northeastern B.C. will need to increase, which means the concerns associated with fracking would also grow.
A total of 23,000 natural gas wells have been drilled in B.C., according to the BC Oil and Gas Commission. The commission projects another 2,100 would need to be drilled in 2019 and another 1,100 by 2025 to supply an LNG industry.
Apart from the physical footprint and habitat loss that represents, critics fear increased fracking in B.C. would increase the risk of water pollution, induced seismic events (mini-earthquakes) and greenhouse gas emissions, the most troublesome being methane leaks.
