Routes to Sustainability for Natural Gas Development and Water and Air Resources in the Rocky Mountain Region

落基山区天然气开发以及水和空气资源的可持续发展之路

• 批准号: 1240584
• 负责人: Joseph Ryan
• 金额: $ 1199.93万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-10-01 至 2019-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1240584&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Routes; Sustainability; Natural; Gas; Development

1240584 Ryan The current energy system in the United States relies on finite resources that are the major cause of climate change and a key source of global conflict. A sustainable energy system - one that uses renewable, low-carbon, affordable, and local energy sources - may be decades away. Natural gas is seen as the "bridge fuel" to a more sustainable energy system because natural gas combustion emits smaller amounts of greenhouse gases than coal combustion. However, conflicts have arisen between accelerated natural gas development and water and air resources protection. These conflicts are becoming acute in the Rocky Mountain region, which has always played an important role in the energy system of the United States. Most of the recent growth in natural gas production is the result of extracting gas from "unconventional" sources (coal-bed methane, shale gas, tight gas) with the techniques of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing requires large volumes of water that are chemically amended and injected to increase the permeability of the gas-bearing formations. The fracturing fluid left in ground and the fracturing fluid that returns to the surface (flowback), along with produced water, present risks to ground and surface waters. Natural gas extraction results in atmospheric emissions, particularly the release of greenhouse gases, oxides of nitrogen, and volatile organic compounds tied to the generation of ozone. These stresses on local water and air resources must be weighed against the benefits of natural gas production for the nation and the public must be provided with reliable information to make decisions about energy sources and resource protection. This Sustainability Research Network (SRN) addresses the conflict between natural gas extraction and water and air resources protection with the development of a social-ecological system framework with which to assess the conflict and to identify needs for scientific information. Scientific investigations will be conducted to assess and mitigate the problems. Outreach and education efforts will focus on citizen science, public involvement, and awareness of the science and policy issues. The intellectual merit of this SRN proposal includes (1) examination of the effects of natural gas development on water and air resources by analyzing trade-offs between local, regional, and national costs and benefits in environmental, social, and economic domains (social-ecological systems); (2) review of industry practices for hydraulic fracturing, well drilling and casing, and gas collection infrastructure for best management practices recommendations (natural gas infrastructure); (3) investigation of the hydrologic processes that determine impacts of natural gas extraction on groundwater withdrawal and contaminant transport in drinking water aquifers and surface waters (water quantity); (4) characterization of the potential risks of fracturing fluid migrating to drinking water aquifers, the injection or discharge of flowback and produced water, and the mitigation of these risks by treatment of the flowback and produced waters (water quality); (5) improved spatial and temporal monitoring of air pollutants by a combination of high-resolution mobile sampling and the use of personal air monitors as an example of "citizen science" feeding data to air quality models that assess the local, regional, and national implications of natural gas development (air quality); and (6) quantitative and qualitative assessment of the health risks, both chemical and non-chemical, associated with water and air exposure. The broader impact of this SRN includes improved public understanding of the effects of natural gas development on water and air resources and better decision-making regarding the local effects and regional and national benefits and costs of natural gas development. The broader impacts will be achieved through extensive education and outreach activities: (1) dissemination of best management practices in collaboration with all stakeholders, (2) diverse communication about scientists and scientific activity that will reach a broad portion of the public, (3) collaboration with Native American tribes and other under-represented groups disproportionately affected by natural gas development, (4) educational efforts aimed at providing appreciation for the science-policy interface at the university and K-12 levels, and (5) engagement of the public through citizen science, workshops, and scenario planning.

1240584瑞安，美国目前的能源系统依赖有限的资源，这些资源是气候变化的主要原因，也是全球冲突的关键来源。一个可持续的能源系统--使用可再生、低碳、负担得起的本地能源--可能还需要几十年的时间。天然气被视为通向更可持续能源系统的“桥梁燃料”，因为天然气燃烧比煤炭燃烧排放的温室气体更少。然而，加快天然气开发与保护水资源和空气资源之间也出现了冲突。这些冲突在落基山脉地区变得尖锐起来，该地区一直在美国的能源体系中扮演着重要角色。最近天然气产量的大部分增长是利用水平钻井和水力压裂技术从“非常规”来源(煤层气、页岩气、致密气)中开采天然气的结果。水力压裂需要大量的水，这些水经过化学修饰和注入，以增加含气地层的渗透率。留在地下的压裂液和返回地面(回流)的压裂液与产出水一起对地下水和地表水构成风险。天然气开采会导致大气排放，特别是温室气体、氮氧化物和与臭氧生成有关的挥发性有机化合物的释放。这些对当地水资源和空气资源的压力必须与天然气生产给国家带来的好处进行权衡，必须为公众提供可靠的信息，以做出能源和资源保护的决策。该可持续发展研究网络(SRN)通过制定社会-生态系统框架来解决天然气开采与水和空气资源保护之间的冲突，以评估冲突并确定对科学信息的需求。将进行科学调查，以评估和缓解这些问题。外展和教育工作将侧重于公民科学、公众参与以及对科学和政策问题的认识。SRN建议的学术价值包括：(1)通过分析当地、区域和国家在环境、社会和经济领域(社会-生态系统)的成本和效益之间的权衡，检查天然气开发对水资源和空气资源的影响；(2)审查水力压裂、钻井和套管以及天然气收集基础设施的行业做法，以获得最佳管理建议(天然气基础设施)；(3)调查确定天然气开采对地下水开采和饮用水含水层和地表水中污染物迁移的影响的水文过程(水量)；(4)表征压裂液迁移到饮用水含水层的潜在风险、回流和产出水的注入或排放，并通过处理回流和产出水来缓解这些风险(水质)；(5)通过结合高分辨率移动采样和使用个人空气监测仪，改进对空气污染物的空间和时间监测，作为向空气质量模型提供数据的“公民科学”的例子，这些模型评估天然气开发对地方、区域和国家的影响(空气质量)；以及(6)与水和空气接触有关的化学和非化学健康风险的定量和定性评估。这个SRN的更广泛的影响包括提高公众对天然气开发对水和空气资源的影响的了解，以及关于天然气开发的当地影响以及区域和国家利益和成本的更好决策。将通过广泛的教育和外联活动实现更广泛的影响：(1)与所有利益攸关方合作，传播最佳管理做法；(2)就科学家和将惠及广大公众的科学活动进行多样化的交流；(3)与美洲原住民部落和其他受天然气开发影响较大的代表不足的群体开展合作；(4)开展教育努力，以提高对大学和K-12各级科学政策的认识；以及(5)通过公民科学、讲习班和情景规划使公众参与进来。