As committee members reflect on their experience of the Bakken tour, they identify elements of shale oil development that were not included on the agenda, such as water withdrawal and permitting processes, waste confinement and disposal, pipeline infrastructure, and in-depth discussion of the social and environmental impacts of the resource boom.
The tour did not include the opportunity to view any of North Dakota’s open waste pits, nor was there any formal discussion of the impacts of flooding in the area earlier this year. While many presenters spoke candidly, there was limited discussion about how jurisdictions quantify environmental liabilities or how communities cope with homelessness and addictions.
Through committee initiative, the tour group heard from a regional wildlife manager and local resident who shared observations that taxes and cost of living have increased substantially while, for many people, quality of life has declined overall, especially for those who have not been able to take advantage of the activity. The same individual commented that effects on wildlife and habitat were not being addressed in mitigation activities and encouraged tour participants to ask further questions in this area.
After the tour’s conclusion, members learned that a large oil spill, linked to inadequate monitoring, occurred in the area during the time the committee was there. This significant event was not mentioned to participants, and only appeared in the media two weeks after the spill began.
The committee recognizes that in order to accommodate some of these issues, other components of the tour would have been missed. The exclusion of these elements highlights areas where the committee might focus in the future. Members raise these issues to draw awareness to impacts that cannot be overlooked as the Northwest Territories develops policy on the use of hydraulic fracturing.