Methane leaking from shale wells in Canada

by admin on January 12, 2011

The St. Lawrence River basin is rich in farmland and in shale resources.

Quebec’s Ministry of Natural Resources reports that 19 of 31 hydrofracked wells inspected by that agency are leaking gas.  The wells that were found to have leaks belong to Talisman Energy, Gastem, Canbriam, Questerre and Canadian Forest Oil and date back to 2006.   A spokesperson for Talisman confirmed that the gas leaking is methane, a gas 21 times more damaging than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.  Andre Belisle, president of the Quebec Association Against Atmospheric Pollution, believes that a moratorium should be in place while more scientific studies are performed to comprehensively assess the environmental impact of shale gas industry in Quebec.   The 35-page report was prepared by the Ministry for the BAPE, Quebec’s environmental protection agency.   The report is available in French on the BAPE website.   Full story here.

Previous post:

Next post: