Is anyone out there? Exploring Saskatchewan's civil society involvement in hydraulic fracturing

No Canadian province has fewer regulations surrounding the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) than Saskatchewan. Other provinces - and some US jurisdictions and foreign countries - have banned fracking or chosen to heavily regulate it because of its environmental and public health risks. Saskatchewan has lax regulations and a political regime that favors the oil and gas industry. This paper asks where environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs) are in the landscape of public opposition to fracking. Previous research has shown the rural communities can be dependent on natural resource extraction for revenue and jobs thereby leaving citizens unwilling to speak out against the industry or the government policy that surrounds it. Through surveys and interviews with ENGOs in Saskatchewan we find these organizations are not engaged in fracking debates or policy at all. No ENGO in the province is lobbying for regulatory changes and no ENGO is presently working to disseminate information on fracking to the public or government. This suggests, in line with earlier work, that Saskatchewan will remain the wild west of Canadian fracking, while the public and the environment may pay a significant cost.