Fracking promises prosperity but what if it's happening in your front yard?

When Kevin McCleary and his wife cleared 160 acresof land to build their home in Pouce Coupe, B.C., two decades ago, they didn't expect a hydraulic fracturing gas well pad wouldbe built less than half a kilometrefrom their front door.

Now, McClearysays his family is bombarded bybright lights, foul smellsand high-decibel industrial noise from the work site near the community, which is a few kilometres southeast of Dawson Creek in the province's northeast.

"It'san incredible roaring sound, which builds up to a crescendo," said McCleary. "The lights illuminate our front yard. There always seems to be something on the wind, some oily, chemical substance, or diesel exhaust.

"It's disturbing our sleep. We were trying to watch television last night and we can hear down at the pad site the banging and kind of rumbling and roaring sound."

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking,is a process that blasts water, sand, and chemicalsat high pressure more than twokilometres undergroundto release natural gas trapped in rock formations.

That gas is then moved by pipelines, like the 670-kilometre Coastal GasLinkpipeline that's being constructedacross northern B.C., to processing facilitieslike the plant LNG Canada is building in Kitimatfor shipping to export markets.

But fracking remains controversialand has already been banned in some jurisdictions.

While the industry is key to the B.C.'s government's economic plans and job forecasts, those who have seen fracking sites set up near their homes feel they are being made to pay the price for energy development.

'Anger and grief'

In Farmington,around 25 kilometres northwest of Dawson Creek, Vicky Simlik said she feels under siege.

The 80-acre property where she's lived for three decades, raisinghorses and growinghay, used to beidyllic. But ever sincea fracking well pad was built less than a kilometre away, she avoids going outside because of the noiseand industrial smells.

"I feel anger and grief," she said. "It sounds like a train right in front of you that just keeps going and going and going. It's so invasive, it can break you in half.

"The fracking is just kickboxing its way across the land."

Wayne Sawchuk grew up in the region and now lives in Rolla, B.C., where he can see flares from a nearby gas plant.

Sawchuk describes northeastB.C. as a "sacrifice zone" where well pads, pipelinesand resource roads are "carving up the land."

"In my lifetime, every areahas been accessed, almost without exception," he said.

"To go from a pristine landscape to ... basically an industrialized landscape...this oil and gas [development] is not benign. And I've lived through it. I've seen it."

The B.C. government and scientists are still studying fracking's impact on human health, the environment, greenhouse gas emissionsand water supplies, as well asits link to induced earthquakes.

But while it feels like a threat to some, for others it's a major opportunity.

'It brings new life'

Thousands of people are now at work building the Coastal GasLinkpipeline and LNG Canada's processing and export facility.

The combinedprojectisalso a boon to businesses servicing the oil and gas sector, like family companyLindberg Constructionin Dawson Creek.

Owner Gerald Lindberg says natural gas development hasbrought stability to theboom-and-bust cycle.

"It really brings new life to the area. Now that everyone's working, a lot of our guys are able to afford houses and start families, so it's hugely beneficial to us," he said.

Of course, it's also beneficial to companies like Shell and Petronas, two of the partners in the LNG Canada jointventure, and amongthe biggest gas producers in the region.

The new pipeline and export facility will ensure more natural gas makes its way to Asian markets.

"There hasn't been enough pipelines to take away all this gas," said Tommy Chu, an engineer and energy analyst.

"So what LNG Canada is going to provide is much needed relief to access additional markets. Companies have kind of been waiting in the wings. Now, we'll see a lot more activity."

At current prices, Chu estimated $10 million worth of gas a day will flow through the Coastal GasLink pipeline once the LNGproject is operational.

The revenuefrom gas extraction isvital, said Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

"These revenuesfund health care, social services, educationand infrastructure. To shut the door because we see obstacles anything you do will have an impact. From a fracking standpoint, the technologies and the processes are evolving continuously," she told CBC News.

Potential for further growth

In 2021, B.C.'s energy regulator tallied just over 8,200 gas wells and 39,000 kilometres of pipelines operating in the province.

The B.C. Oil and Gas Commission (BCOGC)said drilling for new wells was up 24 per centlast year.

LNG Canada is still considering whether to double the project's future capacity as part of a possible Phase 2 expansion.

Petronas, one of the joint venture partners in LNG Canada, said there are"over 15,000 identified drilling locations" in northern B.C. though it clarified inan email to CBC Newsthat the number of actual well pads "will be significantly lower and spread out over the lifespan of our operations."

A Shell spokesperson told CBC that any increase in production will depend on "future market conditions."

Back in Pouce Coupe, McCleary fears further growth in fracking in the region "will drive us from our homes."

He said when he complained about constant noise, he was advised to try ear plugs.

The BCOGCsaid the province's regulations "ensure oil and gas companies are developing energy resources responsibly, while also protecting public safety, safeguarding the environment, and respecting those affected."