NDP: government must conduct independent review of fracking as water allocation outpaces scientific assurance Press Release, August 21, 2012
Alberta’s NDP environment critic Rachel Notley is renewing her party’s call for the government to undertake an independent, scientific review of hydraulic fracturing (fracking). “In the year ending June 2012 this government allocated as much water to the fracking industry as the city of Lethbridge uses in six months,” said Notley. “Yet there are just too many questions about fracking safety and its impact on Alberta’s water that this conservative government is unable to answer.” “I know that people in Lethbridge are concerned about water use in this part of the province,” said former Lethbridge-West NDP candidate Shannon Phillips. “Water is scarce here, and we all want to make sure that it’s being used to support the needs of people first.” Notley noted that although the government allocated a significant amount of water to fracking this year, they only started keeping track of water specifically used for fracking in February. Meanwhile, scientists have been calling for independent pre-fracking groundwater monitoring, and a scientific assessment of river inflow needs before further water allocation decisions are made. Cautious estimates suggest that 25% of abandoned wells have failed, with nearly 150,000 total abandoned wells in the province that could be impacted by fracking. “Just over a year ago, the NDP released information that the government and industry were working together on a public relations strategy to hoodwink Albertans into believing that fracking is safe, even though their own documents admitted the research was inconclusive,” said Notley. “At that point we called for a review of the process. A year has passed and while independent and scientific assessment and monitoring has gone nowhere, drilling approvals and water allocations continue like a Boxing Day sale at Future Shop.” “To date there have been over 4,000 applications for fracking permits and not one of them has been denied by this government,” said Notley. “When it comes to protecting Alberta’s clean water, I don’t like those odds.”
-
Recent Posts
- Sara Jama: The only honourable courageous politician in Ontario’s Legislature against Israeli dictatorship of North America; Eat your racist old white guy scaredy-cat bully butt heart out Jonathan Kay (“dog shampoo guy”). May 2, 2024
- BC: Woodfibre Trojan horse LNG project of idiots with ship full of Trojan condoms gets voted down by Squamish Councillors, concern for safety of women and girls one of the reasons. May 2, 2024
- U Saskatchewan Faculty votes to support BDS against Israel, 6th BDS motion passed by a Canadian faculty association in last few months May 2, 2024
- Solar geoengineering: “Unusually hot ‘hot potato”’ over-optimistically ignoring messiness of the world will not fix the deadly mess humanity is in, the only way is to stop polluting with fossil fuels. May 2, 2024
- Gas lighting gaslighting: “Enclosed Combusters” evilly used by oil and gas companies to intentionally hide flares while lying, claiming such equipment reduces pollution, forcing “regulators” to rely on data from oil and gas polluters May 2, 2024
- Canada’s Trans Mountain P/L “may only deliver half expected boost” to tarshit exports because of safety requirements and logistical constraints at Port of Vancouver. Can’t tarshitters and their lying enablers do basic math? Or will they do what they always do: force deregulation, remove safety requirements? When will the first rupture destroy a creek and the first crash permanently pollute the port? Bitumen is impossible to appropriately clean up when dumped into water. May 2, 2024
- Carbon Capture (no matter what type) is a money laundering con job, steals from the poor to give to the rich, and industry, politicians and regulators know it. Another $2.4Billion CCS project, this one in Alberta, bites reality and dies for “lack of economical feasibility” despite “massive subsidies.” May 2, 2024
- SEHN: From Macroplastics to Microplastics: Worldwide Environmental, Wildlife, and Human Contamination. Real Solutions Urgently Needed May 1, 2024
- Bravo McGill U Encampment! Lying Israel lobby aiming to kill freedom of expression (Canada)/freedom of speech (USA) hits major judicial block. Justice Chantal Massé: “The court is of the opinion that the balance of inconveniences leans more toward the protesters, whose freedom of expression and to gather peacefully would be affected significantly” May 1, 2024
- Frac’ing tailpipes in our homes: Natural gas cooking generates toxic nanocluster aerosols, creates major respiratory burden in kids and adults. Transition to gas-free buildings “so well underway that legal obstacles thrown up by the fossil fuel industry and its allies won’t be enough to stop it.” May 1, 2024
- Kansas Cruelty by Gov Laura Kelly: No oil-free drinking water for you and your loved ones, and no compensation either! Jenna Krob: “And it’s just so disgusting that I’ve lived, we’ve lived this way as a family for this long, with still no solution.” April 30, 2024
- Texas Miracle in the Permian, Frac Greed causing $Billions in damages: Satellite data reveal impacts to surface (11 inches subsidence since 2015 where frac’ers take out water and oil; 5 inches lift where wastewater injected); earthquakes greater than 2.5M jumped from 42 in 2017 to 671 in 2022; pressure increases; erupting wastewater not staying injected destroying farm land; contaminated groundwater … The greedy frac sods have no answers or fixes. “You punch enough holes in it, the whole country’s going to fall apart” April 30, 2024
- Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation puts Tarsands Shareholders on notice. April 30, 2024
- Manitoba: Sio Silica Corp-con politico frac sand aquifer-violating project (pimped under guise of green) Circle Jerking continues. Did Heather Stefanson step down for obvious reasons? April 30, 2024
- Big Oil Dildo Danielle (slithered into power by TBA evangelicals and the oil patch she’s lobbyist for) “refreshes” AER, appoints industry CEO Duncan Au as Chair, and old & new board members: 1. Fascist industry CEO, Dani’s pal, “yäger bomb” (Dave Yager, paid by UCP to review AER); 2. past ERCB member, leak expert and lawyer Theresa Watson; 3. industry CEO Carey Arnett. Of course, on a Friday afternoon. **Remember: AER owes “no duty of care” to any Albertan harmed by oil, gas ‘n frac; is legally immune; violates the law with impunity, including Canada’s charter, enabled by the judges our dirty politicians appoint; and NDP enabled and lied about AER same as UCP.** April 28, 2024