Long wait for fracking report by Stewart Shields, December 28, 2012, Edmonton Journal
Re: “Fracking leak tainted groundwater: report,” the Journal, Dec. 21.
Why are we only now, during the holiday season, learning about a fracking accident that happened some 15 months ago at a well site near Grande Prairie? This is a perfect example of the stupidity of having a regulator like the Energy Resources Conservation Board not using cash fines as its preferred method of gaining compliance. Getting a “high-risk’’ enforcement action from the ERCB certainly does not strike fear in the hearts of the offender or other developers. And shutting down operations punishes the owning public, which is guiltless, and helps guarantee the developer suffers little real loss. An inquiry should be called into how and when such accidents and incidents must be made public. [Emphasis added]