The potential cumulative environmental impacts from intensive coalbed methane (CBM) development means that Alberta should require environmental impact assessments before large-scale projects are permitted. This is the key recommendation in the Pembina Institute report, "Unconventional Gas: The environmental challenges of coalbed methane development in Alberta," released today.
"In many areas CBM development will likely require a high density of wells to extract the gas," said Mary Griffiths, Environmental Policy Analyst with the Pembina Institute and lead author of the report. "In addition to the impacts of the wells themselves, new roads and pipelines will often be required that will further fragment the land, and affect wildlife habitat and agricultural operations." Other issues identified in the report include increased noise from compressor stations, air pollution from venting and flaring, and potential effects on freshwater resources.
Griffiths stressed that, while the environmental impacts will vary, for large-scale CBM projects that require dewatering of the coal seams, the impacts could be as great as those from in-situ oilsands projects. In-situ oilsands projects undergo an environmental impact assessment, yet no such review is currently required for CBM projects.
Experience with CBM in the United States has demonstrated that these developments can have serious environmental impacts. "We have the opportunity to learn from mistakes that have been made in the U.S." said Chris Severson-Baker, Deputy Director of the Pembina Institute's Energy Watch Program and co-author of the report. "While conditions may be somewhat different here than in the U.S., we must ensure that proactive, effective CBM regulation is established and that industry adopts best practices to minimize the risk of these impacts."
This report was written to provide Albertans with an overview of CBM development in the province. It makes ten recommendations for improving the regulatory process and outlines best practices that could reduce six potential environmental impacts. Information is provided to help landowners and other stakeholders understand the critical issues and ask the right questions about projects on their land or in their area.
More information about the report can be found on the Pembina Institute web site at www.pembina.org and it can be ordered by email or by calling the Pembina Institute office at
(780) 542-6272.
For more information:
Mary Griffiths: (780) 433-6675
Chris Severson-Baker: (403) 269-3344, ext. 101