Carol Linnitt | Gas Fracking War In British Columbia’s Wildlands
Independent Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in British Columbia are calling upon Premier Christy Clark to launch a comprehensive investigation into hydraulic fracturing. This demand comes late in the game, some say, after the world’s largest fracking operations have already taken place in the remote and pristine wilds of the province.
BC’s two Independent MLAs, Bob Simpson and Vicki Huntington, are not alone in their request for a full examination of the human and environmental health implications of the province’s unconventional gas resources. Supporting the appeal are numerous citizen and environmental groups, journalists, and First Nation’s representatives. They believe the rapid development of gas in BC’s north is taking place without consideration of the costs to public health and safety.
Bob Simpson, MLA for Caribou North, worries that mounting public concern could lead to a high profile confrontation between industry and environmental groups, much like those seen in the 1990s over logging practices. “I’m concerned this is going to be our next war in the woods,” Simpson says.
The growing list of threats to drinking water and public health posed by fracking is the chief driver behind the recent call for a thorough, non-partisan investigation into the process by a special legislative committee.
“It is incumbent on the government to ensure it fully understands the cumulative impacts associated with developing this resource,” says Vicki Huntington, MLA for Delta South, adding that public policy is forcing the rapid expansion of unconventional gas in regions like BC’s northeast.
In light of growing public concerns, the MLAs are demanding a full review of the economic, environmental and health implications of unconventional gas drilling before the province encourages further development.
More courageous jurisdictions, such as Quebec and New York, have called for a moratorium
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