Vancouver Sun -- Opinion: B.C. should follow Quebec's lead on fracking
March 11th, 2011
On Tuesday, Quebec banned hydraulic fracturing, a method used to extract unconventional gas that is also known as "fracking." British Columbia’s new Premier-designate, Christy Clark, has extolled the virtues of natural gas as part of BC’s clean energy future and wants to increase exports of oil and gas. Given the frightening experiences of Americans and Albertans who have first hand experience with fracking, British Columbia should seriously consider following Quebec’s lead, rather than forging ahead full tilt with gas exploitation.
Residents in parts of the United States and Alberta, where fracking occurs on a commercial scale, have horrifying reports of the impacts to their fresh water sources: drinking water is trucked in by oil and gas companies, residents can light their tap water on fire, cattle and fish are killed when fracturing fluid is spilled into streams.
Now stories about the effects of hydraulic fracturing in our own back yard are being heard. Yesterday, residents in the northeastern corner of our province announced they are calling for an inquiry into the health risks of extracting natural gas after sand used in fracking was found to be the culprit in a leaky sour gas pipeline. The leak forced residents to evacuate the area.
In addition to the health impacts for those living close to gas developments, the impacts to our water supply should be of concern to all British Columbians. A McAllister poll conducted November last year found that 91% of British Columbian residents consider fresh water to be our most precious resource. Drinking water and protecting fish and wildlife – not bowing to industry demands - are top priority British Columbians. The public also feels that the current water regulations are not enough to protect these priorities.
Here is an opportunity for the Liberal government to address these concerns. The government is taking a leadership role in modernizing the Water Act, whereby groundwater will finally be regulated. At the same time, the government allows oil and gas companies a free-for-all on water resources in the northern corners of British Columbia. Last year, which was one of the hottest and driest summers on record, 5.6 million barrels of water had been pumped underground, 111 million pounds of sand, and fracking fluid of undisclosed constitution were injected underground to create what industry has lauded as the "world’s largest frack" in Horn River Basin in the northeast. The water came from nearby Two Island Lake. In 2009, 86 billion litres of water were used by the oil and gas industry.
Yet another arm of the government, the Auditor General, released its findings on the sustainability of British Columbia’s groundwater: there is a lack of information on groundwater to be able to inform sustainable management, and there is inadequate protection of groundwater to prevent depletion and contamination and ensure viability of ecosystems.
Even if the Auditor General’s findings are heeded, and the Water Act is amended to include strict groundwater regulations, the fact still remains that we don’t understand the full impacts of hydraulic fracturing.
Americans are starting to take action. The United States Environmental Protection Agency is researching whether fracking can impact drinking water resources. In August, the State of New York passed a ban on fracking until legislators can make an informed decision about the risks of this technique.
The British Columbia government needs to take a huge step back from an aggressive pursuit of unconventional gas to allow time to better understand the impacts. This would be a sign of leadership for a clean energy future.
Fresh water is our greatest resource. British Columbians need to ensure the northeast of our province does not become a forsaken wasteland of a “no holds barred” approach to oil and gas development. Places like the Sacred Headwaters of the Skeena, Nass, and Stikine Rivers cannot be threatened by Shell’s proposal to develop coalbed methane. This is a place where wild salmon and communities thrive. Places like the Sacred Headwaters where water is essential for cultural and ecological wellbeing should be off limits.
A much needed pause, to create a precautionary, informed approach will go a long way to ensuring that only development that respects and protects our precious fresh water resources can go forward.
Karen Tam Wu is the Senior Conservation Campaigner at ForestEthics
