Hydraulic fracturing undertaken in British Columbia (BC) has been absolved of causing methane leaks that contribute to climate change and create safety hazards, according to peer-reviewed research.

oil-and-gas wells

The University of British Columbia’s Energy and Environment Research Initiative reached its verdict in a review of 25,000 northern BC wells.

“Overall, there appear to be no characteristics of well construction or operation in the study database that are conclusively associated with gas migration,” said project supervisor Roger Beckie.

“Specifically, the findings indicate there is no association between wells reporting gas migration and wells that use hydraulic fracturing.”

The three-year study found 145 wells with the leaks that the researchers labeled gas migration, or...