Eliciting public concerns about an emerging energy technology: The case of unconventional shale gas development in the United States

Development of shale gas resources using hydraulic fracturing has dramatically increased U.S. gas production, but also created new needs for risk analysis and governance. Risk analysis for an emerging technology has traditionally relied on experts with knowledge of the technology and its anticipated impacts. But today it is accepted that input from non-expert interested and affected parties (IAPs) is also essential. We present a novel method to elicit concerns from IAPs about the development of shale gas resources. We used an Internet-based snowball sample to identify IAPs and an open-ended prompt to gather their concerns. Reported concerns included potential consequences for environmental, social, and health systems, as well as hazards, hazardous events, precursors to hazards, risk amplifiers, and issues concerning the effective and fair governance of the risks. Some concerns raised have not been addressed in expert-led analyses of shale gas risks. Long-term consequences such as disruptions to economic activities, and governance issues such as regulatory capacity, were more prominent in the responses than in expert analyses. These findings show how engagement with interested and affected parties can elucidate key issues for risk governance in shale gas development. The method can also be applied to other emerging energy development issues.