Dear Editor: In the last weeks, due to media attention, I have been studying the fracking concept with great intensity.
I am a trained process operator and have experience in the mining industry. During my three years training I did an indepth study of the potential for oil and gas development on the west coast .
At that time I came across the concept of fracking but didn’t explore it like I have done in the last three weeks. In my recent readings I stayed away from articles written by groups with an obvious bias against fracking.
In my opinion, these groups are no better than the anti-sealing organization who put forth studies of limited scientific value as their evidence.
I chose to concentrate on groups that would lose credibility if they didn’t provide an accurate account of the issue and had pressure to provide a true picture.
If anyone would like to read these, just email me at roys4frak@hotmail.ca and I will forward the articles.
I have concluded that the process is far more positive than negative and we here on the west coast could benefit from it greatly.
The communities where this will be happening will benefit like Watford City, written about in the article of this month’s National Geographic (March 2013).
I would love to see possible work here for me, my children and their friends. Newfoundland is a have province — we can see this with the development on the go in St. John’s due to the oil and gas.
The development possible from to the oil development on the west coast will help us to become a “have area” of this have province. Any increase in economic development will help us get our much-needed hospital and other things we lack.
The federal government’s involvement ( www.nrcan.gc.ca
/energy/sources/natural-gas/1557),the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers’ commitment (http://www.capp.ca/
canadaIndustry/naturalGas/ShaleGas/Pages/default.aspx ), and the lack of accidents in proportion to the number of frack wells already in Canada, indicate this is safer then what some groups want us to believe.
If I thought that a place like Lark Harbour and its people were at any risk, I would not write in support of this.
The place is beautiful and the people are great and I strongly feel both will benefit from this development.
Roy Rowsell, Little Rapids
Hello Owen, I live in Alberta where we havesafely used the hydraulic fracturing process over 170,000 times. It is commonly used in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and yes...even Newfoundland where it was used to increase production in water wells: http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/waterres/cycle/groundwater/well/facts.html As for the anti-shale show on "The Nature of Things" - that was a completely one-sided show with numerous factual errors. Have a look at Shale Resource Centre Canada's rebuttal here. http://www.shaleresourcecentre.ca/shattered-ground-is-slim-on-facts Shale development can bring jobs and revenues to your region. I invite you to have a look at various sources before making up your mind.