An analysis of the UK's regulation and management of 'fracking' through application of a framework of 'good governance' applied to case studies from England, France, United States, China and Algeria release_lzg53yba75annluw7mmrwxkzme

by Miriam Rose Aczel, Karen Makuch, Imperial College London

Published by Imperial College London.

2022  

Abstract

The United Kingdom (UK) at the national level has promoted development of shale-embedded gas in the interest of national energy security, economic growth and as a 'bridge fuel' with arguable lower carbon emissions until renewable energy sources can be produced at scale. The government's intention to explore for and extract hydrocarbons, using hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling or fracking, however, has met with community opposition, notably in the North of England where initial drilling had begun, but was halted due to induced seismicity. There has been a moratorium on the practice since 2019, and it is unclear when—or if—the UK government will again allow operations to proceed. This research analyses the UK's governance frameworks for regulation of potential impacts of shale gas extraction from a community- and citizen-centred, and human rights, perspective with the goal of identifying potential regulatory gaps, and concludes with recommendations to strengthen environmental and public health protections within the regulatory and decision- making framework. A framework of principles of good governance combined with principles drawn from the Aarhus Convention on environmental rights is defined and employed to analyse the role of governance in decision-making and community inclusion in these processes. How divergent national and local priorities and perspectives are managed under varied governance frameworks is explored through this framework. The thesis employs a methodology of multiple methods within multiple case studies. The central case examines the community experience of Lancashire, England, to understand the UK's regulatory approach and potential impacts at the local scale. To deepen analysis of the functioning of the UK's regulatory framework and communities' experience, case studies were undertaken in the United States, France, China and Algeria to evaluate decision-making and regulatory strategies that other governments with diverse governance structures have adopted toward the technology in we [...]
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