NEB = National Energy Board becomes CER = Canada Energy Regulator.
Does the govt believe this will clean up Peter Watson covering-up corporate crimes?
On March 6, 2006, the Alberta gov’t held an emergency meeting with then Environment Minister Guy Boutilier, Deputy Minister Environment Peter Watson (now Chair of CER, preveiously Chair of NEB, appointed then by Steve Harper), Assistant Deputy Minister Bev Yee (now Chair AER), Hydrogeologist Rob George, other gov’t staff, frac harmed farmers Dale Zimmerman and Fiona Lauridsen, Opposition MLA David Swann and frac harmed landowner Jessica Ernst.
In the meeting Ernst presented the gov’t with Encana’s 2005 hydrogeogolocal report investigating the S. Kenney water well gone bad after the company illegally frac’d the Rosebud community’s drinking water aquifers. In that report, it was admitted Encana diverted fresh water from a gas well without the required permit at the time under the Water Act, and illegally frac’d directly – with 18 Million litres of frac fluid and undisclosed chemical additives – into the communities drinking water aquifers.
In the 2006 emergency meeting, Ernst tried to show the Minister, Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister and their staff, Encana’s data and evidence proving the company broke the law and violated Rosebud’s drinking water supply. The Minister rudely turned his body away, like a spoiled five year old, when Ernst presented him with Encana’s report. The Minister, his deputies, including Bev Yee and staff refused to look at the evidence, helping cover-up Encana’s crimes. Ernst persisted until one of the staff wrote down the Encana report file number. Later, via FOIP results from Alberta Environment, Ernst found out that Encana had directly mailed a copy of the report to Alberta Environment and the AER the year previous. Alberta Health also knew about it. Not one authority fulfilled their responsibilities and charged Encana. They only blamed and shamed the harmed landowners, and violated Ernst’s Charter rights trying to scare her silent.
Did Harper appoint Peter Watson to Chair the NEB (now CER) as reward for covering-up Encana’s crimes?
Is that why the UCP appointed Bev Yee Chair of the AER?
From Andrew Nikiforuk’s Slick Water:
Now it appeared that one of the province’s highest-paid civil servants wanted Jessica Ernst to stop talking about fracking altogether. In his message, Peter Watson—who is now the chair and CEO of Canada’s National Energy Board—said that his staff had caught Ernst making critical comments about Alberta’s government at public meetings. ‘I’m very concerned about what you are saying,’ said Watson in a loud, angry voice. He then hung up.
… Ever since industry had drilled and fracked a dozen oil wells within about half a mile of his farm in Happy Valley, Jack had had problems with methane and ethane in his well. So much gas was pouring up the well that it had punched out the walls of the pump house, Jack told Ernst, and one day an explosion had scorched the inside of the shack.
The oil company had reluctantly hired a water supply company to professionally install a venting system, yet a spurt of methane-frothing water still pissed out of a pipe.
Neither regulator wanted to get involved, explained Jack. The EUB said it was Alberta Environment’s responsibility, and Alberta Environment bounced everything back to the EUB. When Jack objected to more drilling near his farm, because his water was already fouled, the EUB told him that ‘contaminated groundwater was not a ground for objection.’
Fed up, Jack wanted to go public. ‘Will you help me?’ Ernst said yes. She drafted a news release, but it never got sent.
Days later, two gas-in-water experts hired by industry showed up to test Jack’s water. Just as Jack entered the pump house, an explosion blew it to pieces. The next thing Jack remembered was standing seventy-five feet from the building, tearing flaming clothes off this body. All three men ended up in hospital.
Jack, who suffered third-degree burns to his face, back, and arms, spent a month there. Peter Watson, deputy minister of environment, promised Jack water delivery and an investigation if he promised to remain silent. Jack’s family reluctantly agreed. To this day, no regulatory record of the event exists in the public domain.
Federal government announces new Canada Energy Regulator appointments by JWN, Aug. 29, 2019
Cassie Doyle, a former deputy minister of Natural Resources Canada and a former Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) board member, will chair the board of directors of the new Canada Energy Regulator (CER).
The vice-chair is George Vegh, head of McCarthy Tétrault’s national energy regulatory practice and leader of its Toronto energy regulation practice.
The other directors are Ellen Barry, a consultant and former deputy minister in the New Brunswick government, Melanie Debassige, a certified corporate director with more than 20 years of experience in Indigenous economic development and Alain Jolicoeur, a temporary member of the NEB since 2016 and a veteran federal public service executive.
The appointments to the board, which will provide oversight and strategic direction to the CER, were the result of an extensive, competitive, merit-based process, said the government.
The Canadian Energy Regulator Act came into effect Wednesday, replacing the National Energy Board (NEB) with the CER.
Operating out of Calgary, the CER will “enable modern effective governance, more inclusive engagement, greater Indigenous participation, stronger safety and environmental protection and timelier project decisions,” [Translation = more and more and more deregulation; less and less governance; less and less engagement; less and less Indigenous participation; much worse safety and zero or below zero environmental protection; and wild frac’ing free for all from coast to coast to coast!] said Natural Resources Canada.
The government has appointed Peter Watson as chief executive officer of the CER until September 2020. He had served as chair and chief executive officer of the NEB since 2014.
The new regulator also includes a group of independent commissioners who are responsible for timely, inclusive and transparent project reviews and decision-making. The commission has all the powers, rights and privileges vested in a superior court of record with respect to any matters within its jurisdiction.
The lead commissioner is Damien Côté, a temporary member of the NEB since 2016 who has considerable expertise related to Indigenous and regulatory law. In addition to holding a juris doctor degree and a licentiate of laws from the University of Ottawa, he has a master of arts degree in economics from the University of Toronto and bachelor’s degrees in engineering (environmental) and economics from Carleton University.
The deputy lead commissioner is Kathy Penney who has more than 25 years of regulatory, environmental and health and safety experience in the public and private sectors.
The other independent [?????] commissioners, all lawyers, are Wilma Jacknife, Stephanie Luciuk, Trena Grimoldby and Mark Watton.
ALBERTA’S ENERGY REGULATOR GETS THE SAME OIL CHANGE!
Encana running the country, Canada Pension Plan and our courts?
Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench gave Encana and the Alberta water regulator (both law violators) their choice of 3rd Case Management Judge (previous oil patch lawyer) in the Ernst vs Encana lawsuit!
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