Review of Regulating Water Security in Unconventional Oil and Gas by Regina M. Buono, Elena Lopéz Gunn, Jennifer McKay and Chad Staddo (Eds.)

Book review
Water Alternatives
2020

Regulating Water Security in Unconventional Oil and Gas explores the recent expansion of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas extraction. Initially developed in the United States as a way to extract oil and gas from 'tight' bedrock formations, hydraulic fracturing (or 'fracking') now extends to virtually every corner of the globe. This rapid increase has raised concerns relating to the direct and indirect impacts that hydraulic fracturing poses to water resources. The average volume of water consumed by fracking operations is vast: as much as 1.3 million cubic metres per day in the United States, or 3.5 times the average daily water use of Washington, D.C.

Concerns surrounding water consumption and the risks of potential groundwater contamination are particularly urgent in areas suffering from acute water stress, or where reliable access to water is already precarious. This has led to a growing awareness of the inadequacy of existing regulatory frameworks to effectively manage the demands that fracking operations place on water resources. Included in these concerns are issues pertaining to the environmental and sociocultural impacts of water use for hydraulic fracturing, such as induced seismicity, air pollution, and the degradation of ecosystems and landscapes essential to Indigenous and non-indigenous ways of life.