REGULATORY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WATER PROTECTION IN SHALE OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT IN ARGENTINA

In April 2014, Chevron and Argentine oil and gas company YPF announced a $1.24 billion partnership to develop oil and gas from the Vaca Muerta shale, located largely in Argentina’s Neuquén Province in Patagonia. As the first major commercial investment in developing unconventional shale oil and gas in Argentina, the regulatory apparatus is based on oil and gas law written in the 1960s. Environmental law is set at the provincial level and varies by province, though federal baseline standards may be developed. Neuquén is characterized by water scarcity and is home to groups that have actively opposed development. The goal of this project, currently in its initial phase, is to develop a template of legal and regulatory priorities for water resource protection in light of unconventional shale oil and gas development in the region and to coordinate development of legal standards by federal and provincial government in consultation with industry, civil society, and academic researchers.