Fracking author advises public to ask tough questions
First of 9 planned public consultations on N.W.T. fracking regulations to take place Thursday in Inuvik
The author of a book on hydraulic fracturing says the N.W.T. government`s move towards new regulations on the controversial practice is a move forward but encourages the public to ask tough questions during upcoming consultations.
Draft regulations will be posted online for 90 days and a series of public engagement sessions will be held across the territory, with the first one scheduled for Inuvik on Thursday. Dates for the remaining eight sessions have not been set yet.
Alexia Lane, the author of the book On Fracking and a water consultant with a master's degree in environmental science and management, says she wants to see more details emerge about the regulations, particularly on the issues of water quality and how much water operators can use during the process of fracking.
"Those issues are put forward or mentioned in the regulations, which is a good start, but I would want to see more specifics," she said.
Fracking involves pumping water, sand and chemicals underground to help unlock trapped, unconventional sources of oil or natural gas.
Lane says those attending the government's public consultation sessions should ask what the government will do about enforcement of its regulations, lack of compliance, who will do the monitoring and who will carry out the baseline studies.
Last week Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger said he hopes the regulations would settle the question of whether to frack in the territory.
Critics, including MLA Bob Bromley, have described this as backwards, saying the question is whether the territory should allow fracking to occur at all.