I would like to respond to two letters recently appearing in the Cochrane Eagle, regarding environment, climate change and the carbon tax: Tom Harris’ letter, July 5 edition, and L. Leugner’s letter, July 12 edition.
I agree with both writers that a carbon tax is not the sole answer to all of our environmental woes, not because a tax is inappropriate, but because the carbon tax is aimed at the wrong target. It should be targeting the fossil fuel industries that are causing the problems we see today, not the citizens who will have to deal with the consequences. Our oil and gas royalties are some of the lowest, if not the lowest in the world. We are not being paid anything close to the amount it will take to try to ameliorate the harm done. Even with low oil prices, oil sands producers were taking billions of dollars in resources out of Alberta. They could well afford to pay a more reasonable royalty rate, not the approximate one per cent now being paid, and they do not need the huge subsidies provided by Government.
I take issue with Mr. Harris’ statement, "The hypothesis that humanity’s carbon dioxide emissions are causing dangerous climate change problems is being increasingly called into question.” Human caused climate change is not a hypothesis. It is an established, observable fact, agreed upon by every independent climate scientist. The only individuals calling this into question are those employed by, or deeply invested in the fossil fuel industry. Some great advice: “When deciding who to believe, follow the money.”
L. Leugner seems to believe that we shouldn’t act on climate change and pollution because other countries, with much higher population densities, pollute more. Not mentioned is the fact that pollution in Canada is higher per capita than in almost any other nation.
The WHO data cited does not include differences in air pollution between provinces. It does not mention the unique combination of toxic gases emitted by wells completed using high pressure, high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) and their compressor stations and storage tanks. Neither does it address the high volume of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, emitted by the fracked wells and their infrastructure, or the water contamination that so often accompanies horizontal fracking. The Alberta Energy Regulator, in response to six years of requests by Cochrane area residents, has commissioned testing of the gases flowing past the separator on a typical fracked well.
Administrators have had the results of this testing for months now; however, communication of the results, promised to concerned residents for this spring, has not occurred. Residents have been informed that there is now “no date” expected for release of this information. This confirms the belief of residents and the results of exhaustive testing completed in locations around the world, that very dangerous gases are being emitted in this process. The new fracking, also known as shale gas and oil drilling, has been made illegal in a growing number of countries, states and provinces both in North America and world wide. Contamination of our water has been hidden in non-disclosure agreements, despite the fact that this is a crucial public health issue.
Journalists need to challenge statements such as, “We have been fracking safely in Alberta for 60 years.” The fracking that was done here up to 10 to 15 years ago was comparatively safe, affecting only a small area. Hundreds of peer-reviewed studies and articles show that the new high-pressure, high-volume horizontal fracking has serious and extensive negative consequences.
Media often refer to “conventional oil and gas.” There is almost no conventional drilling happening now in Alberta. As stated by Premier Rachel Notley in a recent interview, at least 80 per cent of drilling now involves high-volume, high-pressure fracking.
A representative of the Alberta Geological Survey, in a recent radio interview, stated that the geology around Fox Creek is unique and that no earth tremors from fracking have been documented in other parts of Alberta. Cochrane area residents reported earth tremors from fracking to the energy regulator as early as 2011. The only reason that these tremors were “undocumented” is because officials refused to believe that this was possible.
Industry executives have been heard to state that extractive activities cause only 20 per cent of emissions while consumption of oil and gas causes 80 per cent. They do not, however, delineate what percentage of consumption is directly related to industry activities or what percentage reflects consumption beyond our borders. Industry estimates of emission amounts have been shown by independent study to be wildly inaccurate, these estimates representing only a fraction of actual emissions.
Albertans deserve the whole truth, not the half truths and distortions we so often hear.
Then we can decide where we stand on these issues.
Nielle Hawkwood
