Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke these words some time ago, but they bear repeating, and I’m going to quote.
“Mr. Speaker, we’ve heard a lot about fracking in the last two weeks. I haven’t said much about it, but now feel the time has come and I must add my views. I’ve been following the statements and exchanges in the House, the media reports and so on. The Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee has been at the forefront of the fracking issue, doing the research, considering the pros and cons, monitoring Sahtu exploration and development. I’ve tried to stay abreast of the info flowing through the committee, but it’s a challenge with my other committee work.
“At this point, I’m not sure where I stand on this issue, not sure if I support fracking or oppose it. I know that the Sahtu and the NWT need an economic shot in the arm and I know that the proposed development will provide that boost. I’m not against development, but feel it should be controlled. The face of development must be considered and measured. The all-out/do-it-all/do-it-now approach that seems to be happening in the Bakken scares me. I do not want that for my territory. I have a major concern about our lack of knowledge about our subsurface environment in the area where fracking will occur, particularly our lack of
analysis of aquifers. Our water tables are unknown and unmapped. Fracking has two huge impacts on our water supply: the amount of water used in and needed for the fracking process and the potential contamination of our groundwater through the injection of the used fracking water back underground.
“Another major concern for me is just what regulations, contaminants and chemicals will be used in the fracking process. It seems that currently relations don’t require full disclosure of the products used. Will it be the same after devolution when we are in charge of fracking developments, or will we even have the authority to regulate it? I can only hope that the NWT will ensure strict guidelines or regulations are established to govern the environmental liabilities that can result from fracking.
“In my mind, there’s the potential for the Sahtu to become a situation akin to Yellowknife’s Giant Mine, ‘a monstrous environmental liability.’”
Mr. Speaker, I made that statement seven months ago and my views have changed very little in that time. I still feel we don’t fully understand what fracking will do to our environment, what legacy it will leave behind when all the drilling of wells and the removal of oil and gas is done. Do we have the strict guidelines and regulations I hoped for last fall? No, I don’t think so. Apparently they are coming. Have the public had an opportunity to provide input into the regulations that are advised by the government will be forthcoming? No, and apparently they will, but how will it be done? Do we understand what the impact of fracking will be on our lands and waters? I don’t think so.
Mr. Speaker, this motion asks not to stop fracking altogether, but to stop it while we figure out the answers to these questions. The timing is appropriate. The companies in the Sahtu have advised they are halting exploration for two or more years. What better time to fully assess the effects of the fracking process? What better time to develop guidelines and regulations with full public input? Regulations which, as the motion says, “demonstrate and manage this fracking technology in a way that ensures the integrity of our environment and communities.”
Mr. Speaker, I support this motion and I urge my colleagues to do the same. We have only one chance to set things out right in regards to fracking. Let’s not blow the opportunity. Thank you.