Enviromental Approval wrong and incomplete

Here is the letter I gave to Sterling Belliveau on Saturday September 24th, 2011.

Honourable Sterling Belliveau

Minister for the Environment

September 24, 2011

Re:  Approval #2010-074695

Presently there is incomplete, inaccurate, misleading and missing data and/or parameters in the environmental approval issued to allow an exploratory oil/gas well beside Lake Ainslie.  These errors could lead to misinterpretations by the permit holder. These misinterpretations could result in violations causing environmental damage to the lakes aquaculture and danger to public safety.

The Lake Ainslie Development Association is calling upon the Minister of Environment to rescind this approval, making it null and void. We are also calling upon the Minister to evoke his ministerial privilege to call for a full environmental assessment and climate change review for oil and gas exploration or production in the Lake Ainslie Watershed.

This is to ensure public confidence, public safety, and environmental protection of the Lake Ainslie Watershed, a sensitive watershed, part of the Margaree Heritage River System.

 

Robert Parkins

Chair

L.A.D.A.

Enviromental Impact

Today as chair of the Lake Ainslie Development Association I called upon the minister of Environment to null and void the environmental approval due to the glaring errors and mistakes in the approval. I or should "We" also called upon him to evoke his Ministerial privilege to call for a environmental impact and climate change review on any oil/gas exploration or production in the Lake Ainslie Watershed. Did you know that there is no environmental impact study required for oil/gas exploration but if I wanted to build a wood treatment plant I would have to get one. You can not treat wood with chemicals with out taking the environment into consideration but if you want to pump the chemicals into the earth then it is carte blanche. More hoops to jump through for a windmill then for an oil rig.

Hydraulic Fracturing or "FRACK"

Lets remember that the provincial government has been hiding behind semantics for a long time. I asked about horizontal fracturing but was told ain't happening, when I asked about vertical fracturing they clammed up until I got the ombushman involved then they finally admitted to the Kennetcook disaster. Now we don't talk fracturing at all, we hide behind things like "well alterations" " well stimulation" "well cleaning" and "well treatment" But a rose by any other name still has thorns and this well has it's thorns.
http://www.naturalgas.org/naturalgas/well_completion.asp


http://www.oilprimer.com/oil-well-stimulation.html

Once you're "Fracked" you can't go back

It took us awhile but we finally got the government to admit there was hydraulic fracturing going on. They were hiding behind the term horizontal fracturing which has not been done but vertical fracturing had been done. The method is the same, the chemicals are the same, they just change the name to protect themselves. The residents of the Kennetcook Basin are still trying to find out about the quantity of "returned fluids" as well as where the fluids went to. I have put the letter from Energy at the bottom of this post.

Robert

 

Mr. Parkins,

Thank you for your email of May 4. It has been forwarded to me for response.

The exploratory wells that were drilled in the Kennetcook Basin in 2007-2008 were drilled under an application to drill an exploratory well. The hydraulic fracturing that subsequently took place was done under a separate later application to alter the condition of a well. A company having drilled a well would have to apply to government to alter the condition of a well in order to use hydraulic fracturing. All of this activity falls under the Petroleum Resources Act and Regulations.

Your questions pertaining to the returned fluids fall under the Activities Designation Regulations of Nova Scotia Environment.

The 'returned fluids' are contained in the brine ponds on-site that meet environmental regulations. These are lined with a membrane that does not permit the fluids to discharge into the environment. Under the current approval, the ponds are manually monitored and water levels maintained, with any excess brine water shipped the Windsor Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant for treatment and disposal.

With the decision by the company to not develop these wells, Nova Scotia Environment has requested that the company provide a plan to remediate the site, which will include disposal of the brine fluids and the closing of the ponds. Nova Scotia Environment is currently working with the company in this regard.

In reference to the PetroWorth lease at Lake Ainslie, the company is not permitted to undertake any activity without first providing information to the community at a public open house, which has been done three times in recent years. Petroworth is currently complying with all relevant regulations and policy requirements.

Thanks again for bringing forward your questions.

Sincerely,

Scott Weldon

Petroleum Geologist

Department of Energy

Nova Scotia

Suite 400

5151 George Street

Halifax, Nova Scotia

B3J 3P7

B- 902-424-3234