What is fracking and why is it concerning?

With the U.S. presidential debate shining a spotlight on fracking, let’s dig into what fracking is and why it’s harmful.

Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, is the process of using a high-pressure mix of water, sand and chemicals to release oil and gas from deep underground. Now, you might be thinking, “How bad can fracking really be? It produces natural gas! That sounds natural enough.”

Therein lies the problem: fracking — unlike, say, drilling for oil which has had decades of bad press — occupies this murky space in public understanding. Even some who would describe themselves as environmentalists are unclear what fracking is in simple terms. All of which makes fracked gas ripe for greenwashing — much to the fossil fuel industry’s delight.

Already, governments and major players in the oil and gas sector are trying to sell the gas produced from fracking as a climate solution. (But make no mistake, oil and gas produced from fracking are fossil fuels that are driving climate change – not some new green energy).

Governments are pumping billions into the fracking boom, bending over backwards to appease fossil fuel companies while dismissing the legitimate concerns of frontline communities.

We’re standing with communities to fight the expansion & export of fracked gas

The problem with fracking is two-fold: the extraction process is intensive — often causing earth tremors while leaking methane into the air — and harms local air quality, water quality, people and wildlife. Then, the end product (which, again, is a fossil fuel) must be transported through pipelines that disrupt communities, watersheds and wildlife habitat and produces more greenhouse gases before being burned when it is used and further accelerating global heating.

Fracked gas, which is misleadingly called “natural gas,” despite being anything but natural, has a far higher carbon impact than governments and fossil fuel companies would have you believe.

Learn more about fracked gas

Where does fracking happen in Canada?

Fracking first started in Canada in 1951 near Virden, Manitoba. Today, the vast majority of fracking for shale gas takes place in British Columbia and Alberta. [1] Fracking also happens in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and that is mostly for shale oil, or tight oil as it’s sometimes known.

Fracking in British Columbia primarily occurs in northeastern B.C., including in the Montney Play, a huge gas reserve in northern B.C. and Alberta. The Montney Play is the world’s 6^th largest carbon bomb, which if fully developed would release billions of tonnes of emissions that would be catastrophic for the global effort to slow rising temperatures. [2]

Remember we mentioned water? Well, fracking uses obscene amounts of fresh water. According to The Narwhal, “in B.C. the average frack uses between 5 million and 100 million litres of water.” [3] The BC Energy Regulator states that per fracking well the volume of water used for fracking ranges from 10,000 to 70,000 m3 (or 10 million to 70 million litres). [4] That’s unconscionable for a province with, as of August 2024, approximately 61% of its area under drought conditions. [5]

What countries have banned fracking?

While Canada and the U.S. have embraced fracking, the controversial practice remains banned in numerous E.U. countries, including Germany, France and Spain, as well as Australia. The U.K. has flip-flopped on the issue, but as it currently stands, there is a moratorium on fracking. Closer to home, here in Canada, New Brunswick implemented a ban on fracking in 2014. [6]

According to the BBC, “authorities in countries including Brazil and Argentina are split, with some banning the practice, and others allowing operations.” [7]

What is Ecojustice doing about the expansion and export of fracked gas?

The expansion and export of fracked gas is the new front of the fossil fuel fight in Canada, particularly in British Columbia. The B.C. government is pushing forward with approving fracked gas export projects while the province deals with another summer of wildfires and drought. Ecojustice lawyers are representing communities challenging the approval and construction of these fracked gas export projects, including the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline in northern B.C. which would bring fracked gas from northern B.C. for export on the west coast.

This August, Ecojustice lawyers representing The Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, Kispiox Valley Community Centre Association, and Kispiox Band filed a judicial review to hold the BC Energy Regulator to account for breaking its own rules in allowing construction of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline.

As Kolin Sutherland Wilson, Chief Councillor of Kispiox Band said, “This is not just a pipeline issue: it’s a matter of social and environmental justice. Our communities deserve to have our voices heard and our concerns addressed transparently, especially as the climate crisis escalates.”

The fossil fuel industry has deep pockets and it’s currently trying to sell fracked gas (or “natural gas,” as they’ve branded it) as a climate-safe solution. Meanwhile, communities on the ground are telling us they’re suffering. It’s time those in power listen.

Tell your MP to stop fuelling the climate crisis