Hydraulic fracturing – fracking – is an unconventional extraction technique used in the oil and gas industry that has fundamentally transformed global energy politics. In Fracking Uncertainty, Heather Millar explains variation in Canadian provincial policy approaches, which range from pro-development regulation to moratoria and outright bans. Millar argues that although regulatory designs are shaped by governments’ desires to seek out economic benefits or protect against environmental harms, policy makers’ perceptions of said benefits and/or harms are mediated through socially constructed narratives about uncertainty and risk.Fracking Uncertainty offers in-depth case studies of regulatory development in British Columbia, Alberta, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Drawing on media analysis and interviews with government officials, industry representatives, academics, and environmental advocates, Millar demonstrates how risk narratives foster distinctive forms of learning in each province, leading to different regulatory reforms.
Heather Millar is an associate professor of political science at the University of New Brunswick.
List of TablesList of FiguresList of Appendices1. Fracking and the Politics of RiskRisk narrativesPlan of the book2. Fracking UncertaintyUncertain technologiesUncertain economicsUncertain environmental scienceResponding to uncertainties: Subnational regulation3. Analysing UncertaintyDefining risk narrativesRisk narratives and hydraulic fracturingWho participates? Where?How does regulatory formulation occur?Putting it all together: Risk narratives, actors, venues, and learningStudy design4. Limiting Uncertainty in British ColumbiaBC regulatory timelineThe political economy of British ColumbiaRisk narratives in British Columbia policy debatesTechnical learning and the path to single issue regulationAbsence of salient catastrophic risks5. Monitoring Uncertainty in AlbertaAB regulatory timelineThe political economy of AlbertaRisk narratives in Alberta policy debatesTechnical and political learning: The path to comprehensive regulation6. Managing Uncertainty in New BrunswickNB regulatory timelineThe political economy of New BrunswickRisk narratives in New Brunswick hydraulic fracturing debatesComplex risk and epistemic learningUncertain risk and social learning7. Contesting Uncertainty in Nova ScotiaNS regulatory timelineThe political economy of Nova ScotiaRisk narratives in Nova Scotia hydraulic fracturing debatesUncertain risk and limited technical learningCatastrophic risk and political learning8. Regulating UncertaintyEmpirical implicationsTheoretical implicationsPractical implications for policy makers ConclusionAppendices1. List of Actor Types2. Interview SchedulesNotesReferencesIndex
