EnCana’s environmental impact assessment report for drilling 1275 gas wells in the Suffield National Wildlife Area (SNWA) has been soundly criticized by the federal government the Siksika Nation several environmental groups and local ranchers.
The wildlife area has federal protection so EnCana’s application has to receive approval from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) before it can proceed. EnCana recently filed its environmental impact assessment for the project which is supposed to evaluate how much potential damage the project poses to the environment and what the company plans to do to mitigate environmental concerns. Various groups have made submissions to the CEAA on EnCana’s report.
A coalition of conservation groups including Nature Canada and the Alberta Wilderness Association calls the assessment “woefully inadequate in all areas of biodiversity” and says its “overall conclusion of insignificant impacts defies belief.”
In its assessment EnCana described its project’s impact on the environment as being “negligible” or “insignificant.”
In the Department of National Defence’s submission the department wrote “the proponent’s generic view and conclusions that the environmental effects would be negligible or insignificant for the construction operation and decommission phases are not supported by the information in (Encana’s report).”
The Siksika Nation told the CEAA that the SNWA “represents one of the few remaining areas of unoccupied Crown land in southern Alberta which Siksika can exercise traditional harvesting and other rights. Siksika’s access to the Wildlife Area is necessary to continue and maintain Siksika’s culture.”
The nation also wrote that the proposed drilling would have “detrimental” effects on plants and wildlife populations. “The industrial activity proposed is virtually on every conceivable part of the wildlife area. It is difficult to fathom how EnCana can conclude that there will not be significant impact on wildlife populations given this level of intense industrial activity” says the First Nation in its submission.
The Siksika says it’s in land claims negotiations with the federal government and may request land within the SNWA as part of the land claims process. The nation is also concerned about the 400 aboriginal historic sites within the SNWA and says EnCana’s plan “does not adequately protect them.” The nation is also unimpressed with EnCana’s consultation process. “The Nation is concerned that both the province and the federal Crown have failed to consult with the Siksika concerning impacts to Siksika’s treaty rights.”
Ranchers Blaine and Holly Johnson who ranch near the SNWA opposed EnCana’s plans to drill in the area because they said “having dealt extensively with EnCana… we have seen the effects of the oil and gas industry on native prairie.”
A public hearing on EnCana’s application will likely occur sometime this fall. (AS)
