美国页岩气开发中的环境与监管问题及其启示

Experience and lessons from the U.S.shale gas development in terms of environmental and regulatory issues

受水平井技术及水力压裂技术的推动,美国成为世界上页岩气勘探开发最为成功的国家,但在页岩气开发中存在的许多环境和监管问题成为页岩气进一步开发的主要制约因素,却又往往被外界所忽视。为此,在大量查阅国内外相关文献的基础上,总结分析了美国页岩气开发对环境造成的严重影响,包括消耗大量水资源、加剧气候变化、潜在的甲烷泄漏、污染饮用水源、降低区域空气质量等;同时发现监管方面也存在许多矛盾以及不科学之处。基于前车之鉴,针对我国实际提出了以下建议:建立严谨的技术标准,进行可靠全面的评估;建立完整的监管制度;实行严格的保护环境控制措施;采取预防措施,制订预警方案。

The U.S.shale gas exploration and exploitation is the most successful in the world due to the technologies in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.On the other hand,the environmental and regulatory issues ensued and have become the very restricting factor in the further development of shale gas resources,which are easily neglected.In view of this,based on a huge number of literatures at home and abroad,this paper first summarizes the existing problems in the U.S.shale gas exploitation from the perspectives of environmental protection and governmental regulation.Then many contradictory and unreasonable points are listed in the U.S.shale gas regulatory system and the threats posed on the local environment include potential danger of methane leakage,a huge amount of water consumption,climate change culprit,drinking water source contamination,regional air quality deterioration,and so on.Learning experience and lessons from the U.S.shale gas development,we make the following proposals here in China.(1) A series of compact technical criteria should be set up for reliable and considerate assessment.(2) A complete regulation system should be built.(3) Strict controlling measures should be implemented for environmental protection.(4) Prevention measures should be adopted and pre-warning schemes should be prepared as well.