Pitch to track fracking sites in Mountain View County defeated, “If there is correlation between using alluvial aquifers and other ground water sources (for fracking), I think it would be important for ag service board to know about it.” says Coun. Peggy Johnson by Dan Singleton, Dec 26, 2024, The Albertan
MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – Council has defeated a motion calling for the creation of a list of hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, sites in Mountain View County.
The move came during the recent regularly scheduled council meeting, held in person and online.
Fracking involves the injection of water and other fluids down a drilling well to increase production. Several oil and gas companies operating in the county use the fracking as part of the production processes.
The motion, put forward by Division 6 Coun. Peggy Johnson stated: “That council request administration create a list of the land locations of the fracking sites in Mountain View County up to Nov. 13, 2024, along with the division of the land location and if the list illustrates significant correlation with the identified dry area on the map that a letter outlining this observation be sent to the Minister of Environment and the Minister of Energy and the county’s agricultural service board (ASB).”
Thank you for your integrity, courage, and wisdom, and for trying in a province ruled by zombies when it comes to oil, gas and frac.
At the earlier Nov. 27 council meeting, Coun. Johnson made the following motion: “That the ‘Spring Wheat Soil Moisture Reserves Relative to Long Term Normal to a Depth of 120 cm Map’ be brought to a future council meeting, with the intent that council will send a letter to the minister.”
The map referred to in the motions was from the Alberta government’s Agriculture Moisture Situation update report dated Nov. 13, 2024.
“I think that the greatest value in having Mountain View County look at this is we could share it with our ag board because in general agriculture land has value when the land has water,” Johnson told council at the Dec. 11 council meeting.
“If this significant amount of land doesn’t have soil moisture, then I think that is going to affect its production capabilities for sure. If there is correlation between using alluvial aquifers and other ground water sources (for fracking), I think it would be important for ag service board to know about it.”
The agricultural service board is made up of county councillors and members of the public at large. It advises the county and province on agriculture-related issues and concerns.
Johnson says she has consulted with the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance on the matter.
“I got an email back from them that said they they are looking at doing some groundwater work probably not until 2026, so their reports based on groundwater in the watershed won’t be available until after 2026.
“By listing the fracking areas in a simple list indicating what division those fracking are at, which would take up a smaller amount I time, I think we could see if there is a co-relation between the dry areas and the fracking areas.
“And then not only would we share this with the minister, but also with our local ag service board. If there is a co-relation, I think it would be useful to all our ratepayers to know that.”
During the Dec. 11 council meeting, Reeve Angela Aalbers said, in part, “I’m struggling with this because if this is something we are going to send to the minister then just doing it on an isolated area is probably not provincial-wide.
“I’m sure there are areas where there is high levels of fracking where the soil moisture probably isn’t impacted and then does that draw the same conclusion? Typical rural Alberta authority makes sweeping conclusion without data! So I’m not sure that I would feel comfortable in going to the minister with information when I’m pretty sure that we are not going to be able to build a complete picture just based on this.”
Some – too many – municipalities/towns in Alberta give the water away to frac’ers without keeping track.
Coun. Jennifer Lutz said, in part, “When you said watershed (RDWSA), to me it’s more their mandate to figure this out than using county resources to do it. So maybe it’s a project they would be interested in and that’s maybe just bigger than Mountain View County. I think somebody should be work in on this, but I just don’t think it’s what our staff should be focused on.”!!!!!!!!
Deputy reeve Dwayne Fulton said, in part, “I would suspect that the AER (Alberta Energy Regulator) would have all of this is information (on fracking operations in the county), exact location and durations, so I don’t believe this is in our area to gather the appropriate information from within county resources.”
Reality Check:
A county resolution regarding the use of water in oilfield fracking operations was approved at the recent Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) convention.
The resolution will hopefully prompt the provincial government to take action to address municipal concerns, says reeve Angela Aalbers.
Are you fucking kidding me? UCP and previous con gov’ts provincially and federally have proven over and over, they don’t give a shit about anyone robbed and or harmed by oil, gas, bitumen, coal and frac’ers, except their rich pals, and certainly do not give any shits about Alberta water, other than to make sure companies, most of them foreign owned, have all they demand.
“This will reassure our ratepayers that the issuance of temporary diversion licences (TDLs) to oil and gas companies will not negatively affect the water supply to their homes or agriculture operations,” Aalbers told the Albertan.How the hell will it do any of that?
“We received support from the RMA membership, and we look forward to working with them to advocate on behalf of all Albertans regarding the important issues outlined in this resolution. “We believe this is a very important issue for our ratepayers.”
The Improved Water Licence Approval and Compliance Processes resolution calls for provincial government to “remove from the mandate of the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) to consider and decide applications and other matters under the Water Act in respect of energy resource activities to ensure that all authority for granting water licences falls to Alberta Environment and Protected Areas and that the AER continue to be responsible for industry compliance.”
It also calls on the provincial government to “require the oil and gas industry to reduce water use proportionally to all other users if drought restrictions are implemented . . . and to develop alternatives to the use of fresh water for hydraulic fracking.”
Finally, the resolution calls on the government to “require all temporary diversion licence applications, including those diversions from alluvial aquifers, follow the process outlined in legislation, policy and directives and that the information on which the approving authority has used to issue the TDL be made available to the public.”This is a joke, right? Right? No way will Big Oil Dildo Danielle or any of her cowards in the UCP share vital water details about frac’ers permanently removing water from the hydrogeological cycle or the harms done to many in Alberta.
… A second resolution approved at the RMA calls on the provincial government to “direct the AER to amend directives, policies and other processes necessary to require any company regulated by the AER to pay all current and historical municipal property taxes in full as a condition of operating in Alberta.”Ha ha ha ha ha, roaring laughter. Ha! That’ll never happen. Zombies that have had COVID too many times and breathed too much brain destroying sour gas.
Commenting on that resolution, reeve Aalbers said, “The county maintains the position that everyone should pay their taxes.Pfffft. Surely you know that oil, gas, bitumen, frac, and coal, operate above the law, and above infantile things like paying their rent and or taxes. We stand with our rural colleagues in advocating for the province’s support in ensuring that oil and gas companies fulfill their tax obligations.
… The RMA represents 69 rural municipalities, including Mountain View and Red Deer counties. Resolutions passed by association members are used to lobby the provincial government to take action.
Are rural Albertans ever going to grow up?
End Reality Check.
Coun. Johnson voted in favour of the motion, with councillors Greg Harris, Tiffany Nixon, Alan Miller, Lutz, Fulton and Aalbers voting against.Fucking useless douches! Bend over cowards.
Refer also to:
2004: National Energy Board Looking Ahead to Frack Us All and Take our Water?
It was suggested that a new regulatory framework may be beneficial, and that regulators could consider a “blanket approach” to approve drilling programs for this type of [unconventional] development [including fracing shales].
2009: A Primer for Understanding Canadian Shale Gas – Energy Briefing Note by Canada’s by National Energy Board (now Canadian Energy Regulator), ISSN 1917-506X
… Flow-back water is infrequently reused in other fracs because of the potential for corrosion or scaling, where the dissolved salts may precipitate out of the water and clog parts of the well or the formation. …
2011: ERCB (Now AER) releases massive deregulation with Bulletin 2011-29 to enable frac frenzied free-for-all, removes limits for unconventional oil and gas.
2011: Wise and Courageous Alberta County Reeve Paddy Munro says Tax Fracks, “We need to whack these guys $25,000 a hole.” Of course in cowardly corrupt oil patch controlled rural Alberta, it didn’t happen and worse, for years already, many oil and gas companies refuse to pay rent and taxes and chicken shit authorities in Alberta let them.
A proportion (25% to 100%) of the water used in hydraulic fracturing is not recovered, and consequently this water is lost permanently to re-use, which differs from some other water uses in which water can be recovered and processed for re-use.
2012: Paddy Munro sounds fracking alarm
2012 Cover of Mountain View Gazette showing county resident Kimberly Mildenstein attending Mr. Munro’s presentation. Her T-shirt is marked with: “Frack Off Cancer.”
2012: Watershed planning group acting as ‘propaganda machine,’ says Munro
A provincial advisory body on the Red Deer River watershed appears to be no more than a “propaganda machine” for industry, Mountain View County councillor Paddy Munro charged last week.
In a scathing report to council’s policies and priorities committee on Wednesday, Munro (Div. 6) said the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance has systematically ignored the impacts of hydraulic fracturing and logging on the watershed. …
“Fracking is the biggest deal in oil and gas in its history. In the United States it’s the hottest topic going. It’s an environmental catastrophe and the American government has encouraged it for energy independence.” …
Asked by Reeve Bruce Beattie whether he believes municipalities are included “just to give the appearance of legitimacy,” Munro said, “Absolutely. By having us participate it gives them credibility.” … It’s so serious I can’t stress how I feel about this. When you get an industry and Alberta Environment-led propaganda machine, that concerns us.”
2013: The Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC) frac motion commotion
2014: Hydraulic fracturing letter by Robert Griebel, Alberta MD: Reckless pollution of our environment
…
Under this new directive, operators can apply for longer-term water licences valid for up to ten years where the hydraulic fracturing project areas are known at the time of application based on mineral tenure but where the exact location of water use cannot be confirmed until development plans are finalized. More details on the information required when submitting a water licence application to the AER can be found in the directive. …
There is a water law for domestic and agricultural purposes and one for oil and gas. One for the poor and one for the rich. Guess which one gets enforced?
2023: The Lawless Place = Frac’ing. The Moral Urgency of Stopping this Intergenerational Theft
2023: Frac Canada Dry!
2023: Monster Fracs, getting bigger and thirstier, threatening America’s drinking water aquifers
… Today, the insatiable search for oil and gas has become the latest threat to the country’s endangered aquifers, a critical national resource that is already being drained at alarming rates by industrial farming and cities in search of drinking water.
The amount of water consumed by the oil industry, revealed in a New York Times investigation, has soared to record levels. Fracking wells have increased their water usage sevenfold since 2011 as operators have adopted new techniques to first drill downward and then horizontally for thousands of feet. The process extracts more fossil fuels but requires enormous amounts of water.
Together, oil and gas operators reported using about 1.5 trillion gallons of water since 2011, much of it from aquifers, the Times found. Fracking a single oil or gas well can now use as much as 40 million gallons of water or more. …
Oil companies require no permits to drill their own groundwater wells and there is no consistent requirement that groundwater used for fracking be reported or monitored. As drought has gripped Texas and the surrounding region, many communities have instituted water restrictions for residents even as fracking has been allowed to continue unabated.
Pockets of public resistance are emerging. In New Mexico, a coalition of tribes and environmental groups is suing the state, saying that fracking companies are using up precious water resources and that the state has failed to protect the interests of residents. In Colorado, residents are fighting a proposed fracking project they fear would not just use up local freshwater resources, but risk contaminating a reservoir their community depends on. …
In Canada too!
