The Quebec Environment Minister has announced that shale gas development in Quebec has been put on hold until a full environmental study can be done on fracking.   A Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) report has recommended a full evaluation of potential risks involved in the drilling and extraction of natural gas from the Utica shale rock formation near populated areas along the Saint-Lawrence River.  The government has already approved permits for 31 drilling sites. Fracking has taken place on 18 of the sites.  There have been reports of a number of violations of environmental regulations.  Natural resources inspectors have discovered 11 incidences of natural gas migrating outside of shale gas wells.  The report also expresses concern about the release of greenhouse gas and how the leaks could potentially contaminate aquifers or, under the right conditions, cause explosions.  An additional eight wells also had leaks, but they were contained within a protective casing and did not reach the surrounding environment.  An uncontrolled leak near St-Hyacinthe has been reported.  The BAPE report said there was insufficient information on the impact of fracking to allow drilling to continue and recommended that the government to take the time to compile and examine the scientific data to help define stricter rules.

The Utica shale is potentially a larger play than the Marcellus. To give you some idea of the potential, in 2010 alone in Pennsylvania 1386 wells were drilled to extract gas from the Marcellus.  In the total US there are about half a million gas wells.  The Utica shale covers a geography about twice as large as the Marcellus. The Utica lies between 3,000 and 7,000 thousand feet beneath the Marcellus but underlies parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Ontario and Quebec.

As I blogged earlier, a series of ProPublica reports has identified instances where ground water has been contaminated in drilling areas across the US and Gasland has shown examples of burning tap water and other effects attributed to fracking.  The serious concerns about hydraulic fracturing’s potential impact on drinking water, human health and the environment is serious enough that in the US Congress has appropriated funding for the EPA to undertake a major study of hydraulic fracturing and its impact on drinking water.