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Canada and fracking
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Contents |
Drilling/Fracking
Fracking industry estimates for shale gas reserves in northern British Columbia are 200 trillion cubic feet of gas. EnCana began fracking in BC in the late 1990s. It moved to Alberta in the early 2000s and began using nitrogen, instead of water, to frack shallow coal seams, or what are commonly called coalbed methane.[1]
Regulations
Controversies
Regional regulators in both BC and Alberta have passed rules which allow more intensive drilling: Alberta allows frackers to pack wells close together and release more gas by pumping more water from shallow coal seams. Although British Columbia distributed detailed regulations in 2010 limiting where and when frack companies can drill, and also set environmental standards, it gave the Oil and Gas Commission authority for exempting gas drillers from virtually all of the regulations.
In December 2010, British Columbia’s auditor general issued a report focused on the province’s groundwater and concluded that "the provincial government is not effectively ensuring the sustainability of British Columbia’s groundwater resources."
In 2010, the governments of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding - calling themselves the New West Partnership - for a plan of sharing information and creating standards for fracking and water use. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers also took part. The memo, later leaked, said the three provinces and the fracking industry would work together in creating “key messages” on hydraulic fracturing in order to convince the public fracking was safe, stating "the project will help to demonstrate that shale gas extraction is viable, safe, and environmentally sustainable."[2]
Holds and Moratoriums
Quebec
In April 2012, the Canadian province of Quebec moved from a de facto ban on shale gas development to a total moratorium after a report issued by the Quebec Environment Minister Pierre Arcand recommended the minister not authorize fracking even for research purposes due to environmental concerns with the process. Quebec issued a temporary ban on hydraulic fracturing pending further study in March 2011, putting a halt to exploration in the province, though companies had expected limited drilling for research purposes. The ban came after environmental groups, farmers, and others in Quebec had spoken out against shale gas development in the province. Questerre has land prospective for shale gas in Quebec, including about 324,000 hectares where Talisman Energy has the majority interest and another 81,000 hectares with other partners.[3]
Natural Resources Minister Martine Ouellet has said she vows to impose a complete moratorium on fracking until a new and more complete environmental assessment by the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) is completed, expected for November 2013. It is believed the review will also look at alternatives to shale gas exploitation.[4]
Nova Scotia
In April 2012, the Nova Scotia government issued a two-year hold on hydraulic fracturing, saying it needs more time to study the practice. The government had planned to release a review of the industry in spring 2012, but announced the report has been put off until mid-2014, prompting critics to suggest the ruling NDP is trying to avoid the issue until after the next election. Nova Scotia Fracking Resource and Action Coalition was encouraged by Nova Scotia's move, but said they would prefer a full-fledged moratorium backed by provincial legislation.[5]
Citizen opposition
In a January 11, 2012 public letter to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, which is debating whether to allow fracking in the state, Jessica Ernst talked about her local fight against fracking in Alberta, Canada:
- "I am a scientist with 30 years experience working in Western Canada in the oil and gas industry. I am suing EnCana, the Alberta Government and energy regulator for unlawful activities ... After EnCana fractured my community’s fresh water aquifers, there was so much gas coming out of my well, it was forcing water taps open making them whistle like a train. Bathing caused incredibly painful caustic burns to my skin .... My water is too dangerous to be connected to my home; the isotopic signature of the ethane in my water indicates the contamination comes from EnCana’s gas wells. In 2006 in the Legislature, the Alberta government promised affected families a bandage – safe alternate water 'now and into the future.' They broke that promise and ripped the water away. I drive more than an hour to haul safe water for myself."[6]
Alberta Environment and Water, the agency that oversees groundwater, tested Ernst's well. When the well was drilled in 1986, tests showed it had no methane. Tests after drilling, however, showed high levels of the gas, as well as a hydrocarbon called F2 and two other chemicals. The Alberta Research Council, a government research agency, concluded in its 2007 complaint review of EnCana that it was unlikely fracking had impacted Ernst's water. In response, Ernst sued Encana, Alberta Environment and Water, and the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board (the gas drilling regulator) over allegations that Encana’s drilling operations were negligent and the governmental agencies were complicit in Encana’s contamination by failing to enforce regulations. The lawsuit asks for $33 million Canadian in damages, along with a return of wrongful profits. Ernst states she will not settle on terms involving a confidentiality agreement, as others have previously done.[7]
Lobbying
According to lobbyist registry data, as of September 2012 there are 57 lobbyists representing the natural gas industry to the 85 elected officials and government agencies in the province of British Columbia.[8]
Reports
- Out Of Control: Nova Scotia’s Experience for Fracking for Shale Gas, NOFRAC, 2013.
- Shallow Frac Incidents, Alberta Environment and Water report, accessed 2012.
Resources
References
- ↑ Lynn Herrmann, [http://digitaljournal.com/article/317334#ixzz1x7dOrLmd "Canada fracking creates ‘test tube’ residents in B.C., Alberta," Digital Journal, January 5, 2012.
- ↑ Lynn Herrmann, [http://digitaljournal.com/article/317334#ixzz1x7dOrLmd "Canada fracking creates ‘test tube’ residents in B.C., Alberta," Digital Journal, January 5, 2012.
- ↑ "Canada's Quebec Bans Shale Gas Hydrofracking Pending Studies," Sofia News Agency, April 4, 2012.
- ↑ Michelle Lalonde, "‘A beautiful day' for environmentalists: Shale gas, Gentilly both get the chop," The Gazette, September 20, 2012.
- ↑ Michael MacDonald, "Nova Scotia government puts hydraulic fracturing on hold for two more years," Canadian Press, April 16, 2012.
- ↑ "A Cautionary Tale for Michigan from Jessica Ernst, Canadian scientist suing EnCana for water contamination," Ban Michigan Fracking, accessed April 2012.
- ↑ Lynn Herrmann, [http://digitaljournal.com/article/317334#ixzz1x7dOrLmd "Canada fracking creates ‘test tube’ residents in B.C., Alberta," Digital Journal, January 5, 2012.
- ↑ Kevin Grandia, "The Natural Gas Lobbyist Rush is on in British Columbia," Desmogblog, Sep. 28, 2012.
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