3. Shale Gas Extraction, Energy Reform, and Environmental Damage

The case of shale gas extraction by the hydraulic fracturing method is analysed in the framework of the recently enacted energy reform in Mexico. The majority of the extraction of this gas is restricted to the basins of the Coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. Gas and condensate are also known to be present in the Gulf of California, but the volume of the reserves in this sedimentary basin is not yet known or exploited. There are different opinions regarding the use of shale gas, but the evaluation of this extraction method shows that it is unreliable, that gas emissions to the atmosphere occur, and that it requires a lot of water that is not recovered because it is contaminated with chemicals and radioactivity. In Mexico, no studies have been done on the environmental impact of shale gas extraction at any of the extraction sites, and many of these sites are within protected natural areas and hydrological priority areas.