New fracking practices guidelines issued

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a way of extracting natural gas from deep wells by injecting water, sand and chemicals at a high pressure, fracturing the shale.

The new policies include disclosing fluid additives, assessing and managing fracturing fluid risk, and baseline groundwater testing.

Also included are wellbore construction and quality assurance, assessing and measuring water sources, as well as dealing with potential risks of transporting, handling, storing and disposing of fluids.

CAPP President Dave Collyer says, "Applying these new operating practices will contribute to improving our environmental performance and transparency over time, both of which contribute to stronger understanding of industry activity and better relationships with the public, stakeholders and government."

The practices apply to all CAPP members exploring for and producing natural gas in Canada.