New York State Water Resources Institute, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, 1123 Bradfield Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Environ Sci Process Impacts. 2014 May;16(6):1400-12. doi: 10.1039/c4em00018h.
Unconventional shale gas development promises to significantly alter energy portfolios and economies around the world. It also poses a variety of environmental risks, particularly with respect to the management of water resources. We review current scientific understanding of risks associated with the following: water withdrawals for hydraulic fracturing; wastewater treatment, discharge and disposal; methane and fluid migration in the subsurface; and spills and erosion at the surface. Some of these risks are relatively unique to shale gas development, while others are variations of risks that we already face from a variety of industries and activities. All of these risks depend largely on the pace and scale of development that occurs within a particular region. We focus on the United States, where the shale gas boom has been on-going for several years, paying particular attention to the Marcellus Shale, where a majority of peer-reviewed study has taken place. Governments, regulatory agencies, industry, and other stakeholders are challenged with responding to these risks, and we discuss policies and practices that have been adopted or considered by these various groups. Adaptive Management, a structured framework for addressing complex environmental issues, is discussed as a way to reduce polarization of important discussions on risk, and to more formally engage science in policy-making, along with other economic, social and value considerations. Data suggests that some risks can be substantially reduced through policy and best practice, but also that significant uncertainty persists regarding other risks. We suggest that monitoring and data collection related to water resource risks be established as part of planning for shale gas development before activity begins, and that resources are allocated to provide for appropriate oversight at various levels of governance.
非常规页岩气开发有望显著改变全球能源组合和经济。它还带来了各种环境风险，特别是在水资源管理方面。我们回顾了当前科学界对以下方面相关风险的认识：水力压裂用水的抽取；废水的处理、排放和处置；甲烷和地下流体的运移；以及地表的溢出和侵蚀。其中一些风险是页岩气开发特有的，而另一些则是我们已经面临的各种行业和活动所带来的风险的变体。所有这些风险在很大程度上取决于特定地区的开发速度和规模。我们专注于美国，那里的页岩气繁荣已经持续了几年，特别关注大多数同行评审研究都已进行的马塞勒斯页岩。政府、监管机构、工业界和其他利益相关者面临着应对这些风险的挑战，我们讨论了这些不同群体已经采取或正在考虑的政策和做法。适应性管理是一种解决复杂环境问题的结构化框架，被讨论为减少风险重要讨论两极化的一种方式，并更正式地将科学纳入决策制定，以及其他经济、社会和价值考虑因素。数据表明，一些风险可以通过政策和最佳实践大大降低，但其他风险仍然存在很大的不确定性。我们建议在活动开始之前，作为页岩气开发规划的一部分，建立与水资源风险相关的监测和数据收集，并分配资源，以在各级治理中提供适当的监督。
