Notional Field Development Final Report - EBN

EBN Notional Field Development Plan
2 Background Information
2.1 Surface Constraints
The pro-active planning for and responsible management of the surface facilities are critical elements of
a shale gas development program because they are the only visual signs of the development activities
that agency personnel and the general public can see and serve as a “representation” of the planning
and standard of care related to the subsurface work.
It is imperative that the surface facilities be developed in a transparent, responsible manner. Although
the extraction of these gas resources is primarily a subsurface activity, in the eyes of the public - the
surface facilities serve as the only visual representation of development efforts.
The standard of care required for the development of these surface facilities is high and they must be
designed, constructed and maintained in such a manner that exceeds the minimum regulatory
requirements and industry standards. They serve to preemptively demonstrate that EBN have
addressed any stakeholder concerns.
From an environmental perspective, there are a number of stakeholder concerns that must be
considered in relation to the surface facilities including:
• Water resources
o Design of drilling plans and design of well bores to ensure there is no potential for the
contamination of drinking water supplies
o The procurement of source water for drilling and fracing operations so as to not impact
the availability and production volumes required by other stakeholders
o The storage, use (and re-use) and disposal of these waters so as to not adversely affect
the sounding communities
• Air quality
o Addressing the air emissions produced by the equipment required to extract, process
and transport the shale gas
o Concerns for the potential for increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
• Ecological
o Selecting locations that limit to the minimum the ecological impacts on the natural
environment
o Implementing plans and procedures that reduce the potential for erosion of the soils
and natural landscape and pollute nearby water bodies
• General environmental and health & safety
o Minimizing the potential soil contamination as a result of the operations
o Eliminating the potential increased human health or ecological risks
o Managing the noise levels and lighting emissions so as to not adversely impact the
surrounding communities
• Quality of life
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