Hydraulic Fracturing for Gas in Shale (November 30)
Ms Blakeman: Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. Now, Alberta has more expertise in oil and gas than anywhere.
When it comes to fracking, we should have the best science, regulations, and information, but we don’t. What we do have is leading scientists in the area of deep drilling and fracking stating that the studies done to date have largely lacked vigour, quality control, follow-through, and peer review.
My question is to the Minister of Environment and Water. Why does the government state otherwise?
The Speaker: The hon. minister.
Mrs. McQueen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly with regard to fracking, as I mentioned yesterday in the House, there is lots of work that we’re doing with other departments to make sure that when we come forward with a strategy, we have one that’s com-prehensive. Alberta has a great regulatory system, over 60 years of a strategy with regard to regulating in this province. We will continue to make sure that as we move forward with fracking, we do it in a way that is responsible for Albertans.
Ms Blakeman: Back to the same minister, then. When occur-rences of water contamination follow drilling in areas such as Rosebud, the Wildmere field, and the Campbell and Jack wells in north-central Alberta, why didn’t the government take every possible scientifically rigorous action to determine the cause and find any potential solutions?
The Speaker: The hon. minister.
Mrs. McQueen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I told you, what we said yesterday was that we are working to make sure that before we move heavily into fracking, we’re going to work with other ministries. We’re going to have a comprehensive plan to make sure that as we regulate the fracking industry in Alberta and that continues to grow, it is done as it has been in the past with other oil and gas activities, in a very responsible manner.
Ms Blakeman: We’ve had fracking for 15 years, and they’re just starting to think about a policy?
Okay. To the same minister: why doesn’t this government require companies to submit their fracking fluid ingredients, not the recipe but the ingredients, so that comparisons can be made scientifically with any contaminated water? There’s a starting point. Why can’t you do that?
Dr. Morton: Mr. Speaker, there hasn’t been fracking going on in this province for 15 years; it’s been going on for 30 or 40 years. There are 167,000 fracking jobs in this province. There’s not one documented instance of where the fracking itself led to contamination. Not one. In fact, the New West Partnership is undertaking to pool information precisely on the question she’s looking for, where the fracking companies will actually provide information on ingredients.
Alberta Hansard, November 30, 2011