Agricultural Land Use and Natural Gas Extraction Conflicts by Taylor, Madeline; Hunter, Tina;

Short description:

This book explores the socio-regulatory dimensions of coexistence between agricultural and onshore unconventional gas land uses.

Long description:

Onshore unconventional gas operations, in most jurisdictions, operate on the legal principle that all activities during exploration and extraction are ‘temporary’ in nature. The concept that the onshore unconventional gas industry has a temporary effect on the land on which it operates creates a regulatory paradox. On one hand, unconventional gas activities create energy security, national wealth and a bourgeoning export industry. On the other, agricultural land and agriculturalists may be significantly disadvantaged by unconventional gas activities potentially producing permanent damage to non-renewable fertile soils and spoiling the underground water tables. Thus, threatening future food security and food sovereignty.

This book explores the socio-regulatory dimensions of coexistence between agricultural and onshore unconventional gas land uses in the jurisdictions with the highest concentration of proven unconventional gas reserves – Australia, Canada, the USA, the UK, France, Poland and China. In exploring the differing regulatory standpoints of unconventional gas land uses on productive farming land in the chosen jurisdictions, this book provides an original three-part categorisation of regulatory approaches addressing the coexistence of agricultural land and unconventional gas namely: adaptive management, precautionary and, finally, statism. It offers a timely and topical approach to socio-legal natural resource governance theory based on the participation, transparency and empowerment for agricultural landholders, examining how differing frameworks such as the collective bargaining framework can create equitable and sustainable contractual arrangements with unconventional gas companies.

"The extent to which the development of shale gas (and shale oil) over the past decade has changed the global energy game is difficult to overstate. This timely book offers the first comprehensive review of these issues in a number of key nations and will no doubt find a ready readership among the many who must grapple with these challenges in the years ahead." — taken from the Foreword, John Paterson, University of Aberdeen, UK

"This book presents an excellent account of the socio-regulatory environment in seven shale gas holding countries, highlighting the intractable tension between securing energy supply and a sustainable habitat. More importantly even, Madeline Taylor and Tina Hunter have written an absolutely timely book on a crucial aspect of the unconventional gas conundrum: how agricultural landowners can be empowered vis-à-vis the gas industry, and how the regulatory governance makes a difference. This book will be an invaluable resource for both scholars and practitioners alike."  — Andreas Goldthau, Royal Holloway University of London, UK

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction





Part I: Socio-Regulatory Theories Related to Unconventional Gas Extraction and Agricultural Activities







2. Natural Resource Governance and Land Use Conflict








3. The Value of Agricultural Land: the Right to Food, Food Security and Food Sovereignty








4. Theories of Adaptive Management, Precautionary Principle and the Statist Approach





Part II: Socio-Regulatory Approaches in a Comparative Context







5. Queensland, Australia








6. British Columbia, Canada








7. United Kingdom








8. New York State, USA








9. France








10. Poland








11. China





Part III: Socio-Regulatory Responses and Conclusions







12. Collectivisation and Collective Bargaining








13. Conclusion