The announcement last week that the Oil and Gas Commission will partner with Geoscience BC to conduct hydrologic monitoring in North Eastern BC’s oil and gas fields is needed, but it’s not sufficient to address the substantive water issues associated with hydraulic fracturing, said Independent MLA Bob Simpson.
“It’s about time the OGC started collecting data about water availability in the northeast,” said Simpson. “But, there are broader water-related issues in that region which will not be addressed by a simple monitoring project.”
The Cariboo North MLA raised concerns about water used for hydraulic fracturing this spring in the Legislature along with the Independent MLA, Vicki Huntington. At that time, government MLAs rebuffed their concerns as “grandstanding.”
“The OGC/Geoscience BC study is a minimalist approach to this complex issue,” said Simpson. “Water has ecological and social values that must be understood before permits and licenses are issued for economic purposes, and there are more economic uses for water than simply shale gas fracturing.”
Simpson questioned the justification for the massive amounts of water used in fracturing and pointed out that much of this water ends up as toxic waste that must be permanently removed from the water cycle.
“In a world where water is quickly becoming a scarce resource, we should question any activity that permanently removes water from the Earth’s hydrological cycle; particularly now that shale gas is being questioned as a “green” transition fuel, which has been the justification given to date for discounting the significant environmental concerns being raised about hydraulic fracturing.”
Simpson also expressed concerns that the OGC is the overseeing this data collection, especially when it is already publicly stating that the billions of liters of water being used for hydraulic fracturing is insignificant.
The MLA for Cariboo North questioned the lack of oversight for water use in the Peace Region in the legislature this spring and called on the Minister of Environment to audit the water permitting activities of the OGC. He also asked for a more comprehensive baseline study of water for the Peace than the simple data collection exercise announced last week.
“I also believe that First Nations, Peace residents, and all British Columbians should be consulted more directly and proactively about prioritizing water utilization for hydraulic fracturing and the province should consider pricing water for this activity.”