UKZN-North Dakota Academics Survey South African Opinions on Fracking

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Devan McGranahan, Assistant Professor of Range Science at North Dakota State University (NDSU) recently visited KwaZulu-Natal and convened focus groups with community members, landowners, interested parties, environmental activists, tourism bodies and community leaders to survey opinions on fracking. The survey is open to anyone with opinions on fracking in South Africa.

McGranahan's interest in the issue of fracking and how it could affect South Africa was sparked by his work in North Dakota close to the Bakken oil patch. 

McGranahan spent time in 2013/14 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) as a Fulbright Scholar and National Research Foundation (NRF) Postdoctoral Research Fellow.

Collaborations with UKZN's Professor Kevin Kirkman and a joint visit to the Bakken in 2016 prompted discussion of similarities and differences between North Dakota’s fracking industry and aftermath, and the proposed fracking in South Africa.

Frack-Free SA, an organisation opposed to fracking, assisted with convening the focus groups held by McGranahan in Utrecht, Dundee, Matatiele and Pietermaritzburg, with Kwanalu, the provincial agricultural union, hosting one group. McGranahan encouraged participants to consider the possible impacts of fracking and to raise awareness about what needs to be done should it go ahead.

‘I was interested in speaking about fracking because of the concerns around unconventional energy,’ said McGranahan. 'It's important to identify what the local community does and doesn’t know.’

‘We want to apply lessons learnt in North Dakota by asking what we can take from research there to be proactive in South Africa,’ said McGranahan. ‘This will help identify what landowners and communities should be prepared for if it goes ahead; the impact on people will be hard to manage.’

McGranahan said while entertaining the possibility that fracking could take place is unpalatable to those resisting; affected parties should prepare for that eventuality. He encouraged focus not only on the effects on subsurface elements like water resources, but also on spatial effects on landscapes, roads, pipelines and electricity, as well as the handling of materials and disposal of toxic by-products. He alluded to the social issues that accompany fracking, including constrained resources, increased crime as a result of influx of people into mining areas, a lack of schools and human trafficking.

He said concern about the environmental impact depends on the geology of the area and its conduciveness to unconventional energy development without damaging subsurface reserves.

McGranahan will present reports and academic articles using results of the survey to give policy makers and non-governmental organisations a stable reference as to opinions on the issue.

He emphasised the need for relationship building between any mining interests and farmers to relieve tension, establish trust, and foster productive information sharing. McGranahan noted that South Africa will have the full spectrum of landowners to consider, including reserves, state land, traditional authorities, and private land, to name a few.

McGranahan has been involved in NDSU research on the effects of dust from roads related to the oil industry on surrounding crops and grazing lands. The project involved socio-ecological work and a collaboration with Meghan Kirkwood in NDSU’s Department of Visual Arts on the publication of landscape photography to illustrate the impacts of the oil and gas industry.

Words: Christine Cuénod

Photograph: Devan McGranahan