FRACK-TURED // OIL & GAS
should be considered carefully in light of considerable gaps in research and scientific evidence. “The CCA also concluded that many public concerns about the safety of fracking are legitimate and warrant further study. Indeed, impacted First Nations and landowners have often lamented the fact that their concerns are regularly dismissed. By bringing their voices to the table alongside those of industry and government, there is an opportunity to identify concerns and proceed with the appropriate research that is needed for development to continue responsibly. “However, a meaningful conversation requires more than research alone. No amount of scientific analysis has the capacity to overcome the conflicts that have percolated for decades across the province. From Weibo Ludwig to Jessica Ernst and so many in between, we have seen livelihoods clash time and time again. Much of it is hidden in a culture of silence propagated by the fear of touching something so volatile, but if we are to engage a meaningful conversation about fracking and oil and gas development more broadly, we must learn to let these stories surface in a way that honours the very real human dimensions of a landscape that has largely been discussed in economic terms alone. In doing so, we can begin to realize that we are connected to our fellow Albertans by a common desire to maintain healthy families, healthy communities, and ultimately, a healthy province.”
Asfeldt is pleased about the progress being made inside and outside of the energy industry. “There is an increasing amount of research on fracking. Most encouraging is that stakeholders from industry, the non-profit sector, and elsewhere seem ready for conversation.” Research, science, conversation and education are the keys to understating fracking in Alberta. To learn more about fracking, visit tricanwellservice.com/ resources and click on the Talking Oil & Gas Booklet icon. This leads you to a beautifully illustrated, extremely interesting, detailed and factual account of the industry and its practices. The AlbertaVoices website is found at albertavoices.ca. Their new project, AlbertaFracking, is in development. Asfeldt invites everyone, inside and outside of the industry, to lend their voices to the ongoing conversation. You can contact the AlbertaVoices/Fracking team through their website. It’s no secret that Alberta runs, in a large part, on oil and gas, while also being concerned about our health, safety and environment. At times, it’s hard to reconcile the industry and the lifestyle it affords with the implications of resource extraction; but if one digs deeply enough, the factual information – and the stories of the people – are easy enough to find.
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BUSINESSINEDMONTON.COM // BUSINESS IN EDMONTON // SEPTEMBER 2015
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