Residents to rally against northwest oil well

Residents to rally against northwest oil well by Damien Wood, June 23, 2012, Calgary Sun
“The entire City of Calgary sits on a huge methane bed, which means that sooner or later somebody will want to extract that,” he said. “The issue and dealing with the issue really falls in the hands of the province — it’s their legislation and their boards that are regulating this at the moment.” Ward Sutherland, an RRROCA spokesman, called the prospect of a drill site 400 metres from homes and a major watershed “alarming,” one his group has been opposed to since the beginning. The Energy Resources Conservation Board approved the application despite an official letter of objection provided by the city. The association and some aldermen share concerns of transportation of raw crude along city roads. But after recent conversations and a tour of the area with Alberta Energy Minister Ken Hughes and Calgary-West MLA Sandra Jansen, Sutherland is optimistic the ball will get rolling in their favour. “It was a complete (180 degrees) from the previous minister,” Sutherland said of his discussions with Hughes. “He was very open. “He said he would get back and guarantee some commitments and I’m confident that Sandra will be making an announcement (Sunday).”