Rockin and rolling in Alberta

[cakadu]

We happen to be one of those that are sitting on very good water - actually the best within a 6 mile radius of us. Neighbors have had to drill 3 or 4 times and have barely gotten enough water to do the house, let alone anything else. Under these circumstances, we are going to protect that water with all that we can. Having said that though, the reality is that the company will get in here if they want; we'll just ensure that the water is protected, at least to the extent we are able to.

Even though we've had good water, I still wonder if anything will happen to it. With things not recharging this year and it being so dry the past 3 years, you wonder just how much some of these aquifers can take. Unless we get some much needed moisture, I think we will be cutting back as much as we can on water consumption. On the bright side, with never watering the lawn, grass cutting has been kept to a minimum the past 3 years.

It would be nice if the industry would get "policed" to the extent that it is supposed to. Something like 80% of the reclamations aren't done in the proper amount of time, if at all. Sustainable Resources should be getting on top of it all.

[cowman]

I agree sustainable resources should be on top of it but how can they when the Alberta government keeps cutting their budget...employees? Is the real reason that the oil companies really call the tune? And maybe Ralph and gang are bought and paid for?
Let's face it, oil and gas rock the cradle in Alberta? Just look at the Alberta governments revenue figures? About 1/3 of total- oil and gas royalties. Another 20% corporate taxes...guess who the majority of the corporations in Alberta are? About 25% personal income tax...who makes the big petro dollar salaries? And about 10% gambling,booze, cigarettes...well we all know oil field people like to play?
The oil and gas sector has allowed us to put up with some very incompetent governments...governments that know full well not to bite the hand that feeds them! Consider when the boom really took off? When the Tories took over in the early seventies? Now I know that the oil crisis happened then and that was partly the reason for the boom, but it was also the governments willingness to move to a more "American" style of government? And give away the store? Was this a good thing? Well for some people it definitely was...for others not so good?
Never forget that we had an extremely competent government before the Tories! There was no provincial debt before Lougheed got in...and we never had the massive oil revenue! Of course it was a government built on certain principles that obviously the Alberta people didn't agree with? Fiscal responsibility, personal responsibility, and living within our means?