A COMPROMISED PROCESS

EPA Research Study on Fracking

Aedín McLoughlin B.Sc. Ph.D.Good Energies Alliance Ireland

Presentation to Oireachtas members5th November 2015

History: 2011/12

2011: Minister for Energy, Pat Rabbitte asks EPA to examine the whole issue of fracking and its potential environmental implications (various speeches)

2012: Small report commissioned from University of Aberdeen stated that more research should be carried out.

2012: Decision made to commission a major study on fracking, funded by EPA, DCENR and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). Cross-border steering committee set up.

Public given to understand that this study would inform policy.(Terms of Reference)

Compromised Process

1. The study does not fully address its aims or terms of reference. Impacts on human health, despite being an element of the research questions, are being ignored.

2. The main researchers have close links with the oil and gas industry and their independence must be queried.

3. The Oireachtas has been misled about the membership of the research consortium.

4. Public participation and interim reviews are removed from the research process.

5. The terms of reference are out of date and do not address new findings that show that depending on regulations will not make fracking safe.

1. Aims and Terms of Reference

“The aim of the Research Programme is to further our understanding of the potential impacts on the environment and human health from UGEE* projects/operations.”

First question: “Can UGEE projects/operations be carried out in the island of Ireland whilst also protecting the environment and human health?” (Final Terms of Reference)

Human health is being ignored. No review of impacts on human health literature. The only mention of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is an assessment of its “role in regulation”.

The research tasks do not address the research question, they focus on regulations rather than informing policy, i.e. whether fracking should be permitted in Ireland.

*Unconventional Gas Exploration and Extraction (fracking)

2. Main contractors

August 2014: Contract as “framework operator” awarded to CDM Smith Ireland, a subsidiary of U.S. consultants CDM Smith.CDM Smith is a service provider to the oil and gas industry.

The consortium includes AMEC Foster Wheeler (AMEC), a UK consultancy whose clients include BP, Shell and Exxon-Mobil.

CDM Smith and AMEC are carrying out the bulk of the study (see progress report).

AMEC is leading Project C with CDM – assessment of fracking legislation, regulations, “best practice” and role of HIA in regulation. “This research (especially Project C) has been designed to produce outputs, which will assist regulators (North and South) in fulfilling their statutory roles …” (ToR)

THE INDUSTRY WRITING ITS OWN RULES!

3. The Oireachtas has been misled

Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) were to play a major role with several research tasks. (EPA data) They opted out of the research team and their tasks were taken over by CDM Smith.

EPA was informed of this in October 2014. (FOI data).

JOC was misinformed of QUB role at meeting with EPA in June 2015. Minister White also misinformed. (Dáil record)

Two other universities involved, UCD and UU, are leading tasks focused on seismic studies and monitoring. They are not part of any assessment or regulations tasks.

NO INDEPENDENT VOICE

4. No Interim Reports, no Public Participation

Oct 2014: An Environmental Pillar delegation was informed by a member of the Research Steering Committee that there would be interim reports, an annual meeting with public participation and opportunity for discussion.

March 2015: A decision had been made that there would be no access to interim reports, no public participation. (EPA Head of Research)

The Terms of Reference include the production of a Dissemination Plan with dissemination of each Project. The project is failing these tasks.

A FLAWED PROCESS

5. Terms of Reference are out of date

The 2012 Irish research study is by now completely out of date.

The 3rd Compendium of “Scientific, Medical and Media findings demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking” is now launched (October 2015)*.

Over half of the available studies on the impacts of shale and tight gas development have been published since January 2014. In the first six months of 2015, 103 peer-reviewed studies were published.

The Irish study does not include a review of Public Health impacts of fracking.

* http://concernedhealthny.org/compendium/

What the 2015 studies showed

69% of original research studies on water quality found potential for, or actual evidence of, water contamination;

88% of original research studies on air quality found elevated air pollutant emissions; and

84% of original research studies on human health risks found signs of harm or indication of potential harm.

“It has never been documented that unconventional natural gas extraction (such as fracking) can be implemented with a

minimum risk to human health.” (Dr. Jerome A. Paulson, Director of the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health

and the Environment .)

Regulations cannot make fracking safe

Traffic – thousands of trucks per well, diesel fumes and dust, air pollution. Public health risk

Wells leak: 5% immediately, 50% after 3 years. Methane and contaminated fluids. Danger to agri-food, food chain.

Accidents happen – traffic, mechanical, spills etc. Streams, lakes, land contaminated.

Wells are not the only concern - compressors, needed in gas production, cause significant health impacts.

Industrial zoning affects agriculture, tourism.

FOCUS ONLY ON REGULATIONS IS NOT ENOUGH

The next stage of the process is starting

Supplementary tenders for operation of on-the-ground monitoring stations in Clare, Leitrim and Fermanagh were due to be issued in October.

For 12 months, the stations will monitor: Groundwater Surface water Seismicity (earthquakes)

This work will give the industry valuable information that can be used in applying for exploration licences. This entire study is preparing Ireland for fracking.

This work is industry work; it should NOT be paid for by the Irish tax-payer. The entire study is costing us €1.5 million.

Our demands

1. We call on Government, in particular the Minister for the Environment and the Minister for Energy, to direct the EPA to stop the study related to the “Environmental Impacts of Unconventional Gas Exploration & Extraction (UGEE)” immediately and to cancel all supplementary tenders for on-the-ground seismic and other monitoring tasks relating to this work.

2. We call for a review of the public health impacts of fracking, based on the methodology of the New York State Department of Health “Public Health Review of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing for Shale Gas Development” (Dec 2014), to be carried out by the Chief Medical Officer, under the auspices of the HSE and the Department of Health.