Fracking Awareness Group Media Release

Port au Port/Bay St. George Fracking Awareness Group

Media Release

March 19, 2013

Re: Port au Port /Bay St. George Fracking Awareness Group is asking Government to take a Precautionary Approach  in the Regulation of Fracking for Oil and Gas.

The Port au Port / Bay St. George Fracking Awareness Group is concerned about recent public statements from Environment Minister, Tom Hedderson and Resources Minister, Tom Marshall, regarding fracking for oil and gas in Western Newfoundland. The Fracking Awareness group is asking  both Ministers to take a precautionary approach pending an independent, science- based review of hydraulic fracturing which adequately considers the cumulative impacts of  what the oil industry estimates  as  potentially being hundreds if not thousands of wells being drilled in the Green Point Shale formation which extends from the Port au Port Peninsula  to Daniel's Harbour in Western Newfoundland.

Fracking involves injecting water-laced toxic chemicals or other liquids under high pressure underground through horizontal wells - to break shale  rock formations to extract oil and natural gas.  Hydraulic Fracturing ( Fracking ) is becoming an increasingly controversial issue globally due to  potential negative impacts on the environment  including contamination of ground water,  risks to air quality, the migration of toxic  gases and hydraulic fracturing chemicals to the surface, surface contamination from spills and flowback and resultant negative health effects. Hydraulic fracturing has come under scrutiny internationally, with some countries, states and provinces suspending or banning it.

During a recent C.B.C. radio interview the Provincial Environment Minister Tom Hedderson stated that the Shoal Point fracking proposal will trigger a conjoint environmental assessment by two regulators, the C-NLOPB and the Provincial Department of Environment and Conservation. Regarding Shoal Point Energy's plans to frack for oil on the West Coast, the Fracking Awareness Group recommends that the provincial government should follow Nova Scotia's lead and wait for the completion of a federal government review of the hydraulic fracturing process which is to be completed in the spring of 2014.

The Federal Environment Commissioner, Scott Vaughan in his 2012 audit report stated that Health Canada and Environment Canada are responsible for the regulating of toxic substances. He stated that both consider hydraulic fracturing to be an emerging global issue which they are just beginning to investigate and they informed him that a review of hydraulic fracturing is to be conducted and completed by March 2014.

Regarding Mr Hedderson’s announcement that his Environmental Department will be doing an environmental assessment concurrently and conjointly with C-NLOPB, the Fracking Awareness Group has serious concerns about the objectivity and credibility of such an arrangement. The Group agrees with the recommendation of Judge Robert Wells, in his report on offshore safety in the oil industry, that there should be a separate independent regulatory agency for worker safety and environmental protection.  The Fracking Awareness Group believes that the C-NLOPB, as part of the conjoint regulatory body, should not be both a facilitator of oil and gas development and a regulator for worker safety and environmental health.

In a recent VOCM radio interview, Natural Resources Minister Tom Marshall is reported as saying that government supports the proposal by Shoal Point Energy, and it has legislation to govern the project. He points to the Petroleum Act, environmental assessments, and the C-NLOPB.  However, the Fracking Awareness Group understands that unlike New Brunswick, which recently announced new regulations specifically governing horizontal hydraulic fracturing, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador does not have similar regulations in place.  Mr. Marshall's statement indicating provincial government support for a fracking project that has yet to undergo his own government's review and assessment process is premature and inappropriate.

For further information please contact any of the Co- Chairs and Board Director, Wayne Hounsell as follows:

Katherine Hoskins (Boswarlos) 709 648 9365

Bill O'Gorman (West Bay Centre) 709 642 5715

Marion Sampson (Port au Port East) 709 648 9598

Aiden Mahoney (Stephenville) 709 643 5971

Bob Diamond (Stephenville) 709 643 6362

Wayne Hounsell (Stephenville) 709 643 5747