The B.C. government has appointed local academics to head up a scientific advisory panel to review the environmental risks associated with hydraulic fracturing.
The review was promised by the NDP during last year’s election campaign.
The science advisory panel will explore two main areas of risks associated with fracking: induced seismicity (earthquakes) and potential impacts on water.
It’s not clear whether the panel will also consult with Geoscience BC, which already has a project underway to monitor wells in the Peace River region to test for infiltration of methane from natural gas wells.
“We know British Columbians have questions about hydraulic fracturing,” said B.C. Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Michelle Mungall. “It's our job to make sure that natural gas operations continue to meet world-class standards and best practices for environmental protection."
The three academics appointed to the scientific advisory panel are:
• Diana Allen, earth sciences department at Simon Fraser University;
• Erik Eberhardt, director of geological engineering at the University of BC; and
• Amanda Bustin, research associate at UBC and president of Bustin Earth Science Consultants.
Mungall has also appointed Nalaine Morin of ArrowBlade Consulting Services as an adviser to the panel.
Morin specializes in environmental reviews for First Nations and has worked on a number of mining and oil and gas projects. She sits on the board of directors for both the Tahltan First Nation and Geoscience BC, and was recently a speaker at the Association for Mineral Exploration Roundup.
