Americans are unwilling to put their water supplies at risk for the sake of cheap natural gas, a survey has found, suggesting that grass-roots environmental protests could slow the US gas shale boom.
That could be good news for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters such as Qatar and Algeria, which have been hit hard by falling global gas prices.
The US survey, recently conducted by the polling firm Infogroup/Opinion Research for the not-for-profit US Civil Society Institute (CSI), was the first nationwide poll to gauge US attitudes to the environmental impact of the US onshore drilling boom.
After advances in drilling technology and the development of a technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", which stimulates the flow of gas into wells, US and international oil and gas producers have flocked to exploit huge but previously uneconomic deposits of gas locked in North American shale beds.
Some of those shallow gas deposits are conveniently close to major US markets, such as New York. But they also impinge on the porous underground rock formations that store fresh water for the populous region.
Consumers are increasingly concerned about the potential for the fracking chemicals used to unlock the gas to poison groundwater.
"Among Americans who already are aware of fracking, more than two out of three (69 per cent) are concerned about the drilling technique's possible threat to clean drinking water" CSI said.
The survey also found that 72 per cent of respondents disapproved of energy production that used large quantities of water or jeopardised water quality.
"The message from our new survey is clear: Americans of all political persuasions prefer to see clean energy development that protects water supplies over traditional fossil fuel production that endangers safe drinking water and human health," said Pam Solo, the founder and president of CSI, which is based in Newton, Massachusetts.
The unexpected boom in US gas drilling over the past two years has contributed to a global gas glut that is most pronounced in the Atlantic basin. Qatar, the world's biggest LNG exporter, had expected to sell much of its new production to European and US markets but recently has diverted cargoes to Asia. That, in turn, has pressured Pacific-basin LNG prices.
"The fact that [shale] projects will slow down relieves the pressure on LNG suppliers," said Colin Chapman, the president of Euro Petroleum Consultants, a consultancy in London that tracks global fuel trends.
In the long term, Mr Chapman views the intensified environmental scrutiny that oil and gas producers have faced this year after BP's Macondo oil spill as a positive development for the industry.
"There was bound to be resistance to shale drilling after the BP thing. This will push the companies to make sure the environmental issues are taken care of," he said. "There's bound to be a big lobby now on both sides of the shale gas issue. It's good for the sake of the industry to look at the environmental impact."
Public concerns about potential groundwater contamination have been a major obstacle to shale gas development in Europe, which tends to have greater population densities than North America.
"In Europe, people are looking, and looking seriously, but [shale gas development] is not going to come overnight," Mr Chapman said. Investment in shale gas could be limited by an expected slow recovery in gas prices over the next few years. The existence of improved technology for exploiting difficult shale gas deposits puts a ceiling over global prices by showing there is "an alternative out there", Mr Chapman said.
Gas producers that have stuck to developing conventional reserves have increasingly found themselves tackling costly projects in remote or politically unstable locations, or in deep water far offshore.
tcarlisle@thenational.ae
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Maestro
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.