News notes
A local conservation group is protesting the postponement of a government hearing into EnCana Corporation’s controversial plan to drill 1275 more shallow gas wells in a protected southern Alberta wildlife area. The hearing was originally to begin this month but EnCana requested an extension after the federal government and a coalition of environmental groups made their submissions to the joint federal-provincial panel last month.
The coalition’s submission criticized EnCana’s environmental impact statement (EIS). “We took a look at what was submitted February 18… and we realized that we didn’t readily have the answers to all of the questions that were brought up in the new submissions” says Rhona DelFrari an EnCana spokesperson. “So we requested at that time if we could have a few more weeks.” The panel postponed the hearing until October.
The Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) says the extension is unfair. “We worked really hard — as well as the other interveners — to get our submission in on time and we’ve shown our cards” says Joyce Hildebrand a conservation specialist with the AWA. “And when we did EnCana responded by asking for this delay.” The AWA is part of the coalition opposing EnCana’s plan and Hildebrand says the coalition’s submission demonstrates EnCana’s EIS is “severely flawed.” “So for them to get this six-month delay seems like an abuse of the process” she says adding the coalition previously asked for a one-month extension and was denied.
EnCana wants to drill the wells inside the Canadian Forces Base Suffield National Wildlife Area (NWA) a 458-square-kilometre piece of ecologically sensitive land that’s home to pristine prairie grassland and a high density of at-risk species like the swift fox and burrowing owl. The company currently has 1145 wells inside the NWA.
Alberta Environment meanwhile has declined to participate in the hearings despite the request of the panel which wanted the department’s expertise. Alberta Environment says it won’t participate because the base is on federal land. “We do work with CFB Suffield when they need our expertise for issuing water licences but there is no water license involved” says Alberta Environment spokesperson Cara Van Marck. “Until there is we don’t really have a role to play.”
Hildebrand and the AWA argue Alberta Environment has a responsibility because the drilling will involve water. “When EnCana does their drilling they’re going to be using fresh water” says Hildebrand. “And there is the potential for contamination of groundwater and because it’s connected to surface water [contamination] of surface water.”
