Fracking will not contaminate groundwater, very shallow fracking has contaminated groundwater

Fracking will not contaminate ground water by Steve Charbonneau, October 17, 2011, Rockyview Weekly
This article highlights an often recurring situation, that of ill-informed and fearful landowners and local residents, versus a highly technical petroleum industry. In this case, the Lochend area group POWERS, and members Gary Tressider and Parry Pearsall-Pickup express their fear about fracking. The POWERS group wants a moratorium on fracking due to their fear that local groundwater will become contaminated, and due to the chemicals that are used. In their argument, they claim that industry hasn’t done the research and that independent scientific studies are needed to prove that fracking is safe. They trot out the usual words like destroy, devastate, frightened and point the finger at the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) as providing little protection. … In the past, very shallow fracking has contaminated groundwater in certain American states, mostly due to coalbed methane activity and a lack of regulation. However, the lack of regulation in the United States is not what occurs in Canada. The petroleum industry in Western Canada is the most-regulated petroleum province in the world. To suggest that the ERCB does not look after the interests and safety of the people of Alberta is not only incorrect, but it also does a great disservice to the employees of the ERCB. [Emphasis added]

[Refer also to:

How Alberta Will Fight Fracking Folk Hero Jessica Ernst, In famous flaming water case, regulator to argue ‘no duty of care’ to landowners or groundwater by Andrew Nikiforuk, January 16, 2013, TheTyee.ca ]

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