Kaiser Oil Well to be frac’d in Calgary near sour gas, letter to Premier Alison Redford

Kaiser Oil Well to be frac’d in Calgary near sour gas, letter to Premier Alison Redford by Rocky Ridge Royal Oak Community Association, March 31, 2012
During the ERCB meeting on February 06, 2012 Julie Fulford-ADR Specialist confirmed they do not audit the engagement segment of the application, they simply take the applicant’s word. … During the open house forum for the oil well on February 11th, 2012 in which over 500 plus residents attended, a very disturbing development came forward during the question and answer period when Mr. Ned Beattie (General Manager of Kaiser) announced he was informed by the ERCB NOT to approach the community concerning the oil well. … A study was conducted by the University of Alberta, EUB, NRCB and the Wilfred Laurier University regarding the impact of property values. … In the study the most significant impact were residents within “4” kilometers from the well. … This is another example of the deficiencies in Directive 056 when the radius is 100 meters and the study supports 4 kilometers. During the same open house forum, Mr. Ned Beattie was asked by a resident who was going to pay for the house difference when the house price drops? Mr. Beattie replied that is why the Alberta government gets royalties and that not to worry, that in three years people will forget about it. … The track record of drilling has not been 100% in Calgary as with the Hub oil well explosion or the soil contamination in Lynnwood. … Submission to the ERCB from our legal Counsel: The Board exceeded its proper jurisdiction by actively assisting and facilitating Kaiser’s application 50. The RRROCA submits that in facilitating Kaiser’s application in the manner it did the Board ceased acting quasi-judicially and crossed the line into facilitating the approval of Kaiser’s application. 51. Kaiser’s own records indicate that it rightfully expected that there would be a public Hearing to consider its application. Through the hearing Kaiser was aware of the burden it would have to meet. … “We will have to understand that this application will have objections & there will be a hearing. We will have to show that other locations were proposed but this location was the only alternative that would work for all involved. Our application should be documented & step by step geared towards winning at that hearing” 52. The fact that Kaiser would expect a hearing given the controversial nature of its proposal is not surprising. What is surprising is that the Board actively worked to avoid a hearing…. [Emphasis added]