Governments and businesses trying to develop tight oil and gas resources could face intense competition for water that would be used in hydraulic fracturing , the World Resources Institute said in a recent report. It found that 38% of the world’s tight shale resources face high to extremely high water stress or arid conditions. The Sept. 2 report, “ Global Shale Gas Development: Water Availability ,” is the first publicly available water availability analysis across shale gas and tight oil resources worldwide, the environmental organization said. Its research also indicated that water availability could limit shale resource development on every continent except Antarctica. “With 386 million people living on land above shale plays, governments and business face critical choices about how to manage their energy and water needs,” said WRI Pres. Andrew Steer. “Energy development and responsible water management must go hand in hand.” […]