Multibillion-rand probe into shale gas fracking launched

THE government has launched a multibillion-rand, two-year investigation into the potential impact of fracking for shale gas in the Karoo.

The strategic environmental impact assessment will investigate a wide range of issues that may be affected by fracking, including the effects on biodiversity, water, air and waste to economics, health, spatial planning, heritage and “sense of place”.

Although such an assessment is designed to be an aid for decision-makers – detailing the pros and cons before they authorise an activity – the government has said the assessment would not halt the process of exploring for shale gas in the Karoo.

Regulations governing exploration for shale gas are due to be published soon. Oil and gas companies have said they would not know whether the gas reserves were economically viable until they had drilled exploration wells.

The strategic assessment was launched jointly yesterday by the departments of Environmental Affairs, Science and Technology, Energy, Water Affairs and Sanitation, and Mineral Resources.

The project will be headed by Wits University and CSIR research associate Bob Scholes, a systems ecologist in the fields of global change, ecology and earth observation.

The ground under North Texas didn’t always shake, but today the tremors don’t really stop.

Researchers have pinned the recent rise in small earthquakes around the region on fracking.

All of the earthquakes in the last seven years have occurred above the Barnett Shale, a geological formation that has become a major fracking site for petroleum companies.

It’s “most likely” that many of the quakes were manmade, according to a recent report by researchers from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

The study, published last month, looked at the increase in earthquakes near the towns of Reno and Azle, both located atop the Barnett Shale.

Between late 2013 and early last year, there were more than two dozen small earthquakes in the area that researchers said were most likely because of fracking.

The report was the first time a study had found fracking a likely cause of small earthquakes and not just a “possible” one, and it adds to the growing body of evidence that fracking could be causing more earthquakes.

The rise in seismic activity has also been felt near Dallas, which has seen 40 small earthquakes since January.

Before 2008, the area had just one recorded earthquake in 58 years, according to the US Geological Survey.

The federal agency has identified 17 areas across the US that have seen increased earthquake activity related to fracking.

In April, officials in Oklahoma declared oil and gas operations the leading cause of the state’s earthquakes.