Oilfield Experiences

[cowman]

no coalbed activity in my area cowman, although there are plenty of applications for sour wells.

[cakadu]

Farmers_son thanks for the advice and believe you me, my letter to Intrepid and the EUB set out all that you talk about and more. While I may think the letter is an abomination, it went much further than that. If I were depending on the letter that we received to get in touch with anyone by a certain date, I would still be waiting. There is a quasi-date given in the letter, but then it goes on to say that the company could proceed within the time period if no objections were received. Well, if they've given a date either they are going to stick to it or they aren't. It was dated with one date and posted 4 days later. Again, no clarity in dates which makes it very hard to know when you're supposed to reply.

I phoned the EUB right away and talked with them and they gave me Intrepid's contact information. Our biggest concern is what the drilling will do to our water. Our wells are shallow and we are sitting on the best water around here. They wreck our wells and we are finished as the energy company could never truck in enough water to compensate for what we would lose.

We moved out here, because like emrald, we wanted to be away from everything and be able to have quiet enjoyment of the land. So much for that idea.

Cowman, you're talking to the wrong person about getting a piece of the pie. I'm sure you've figured out by now that I am not interested in making big money. I value other things a whole lot more than I will ever value money. I don't begrudge others what they value as it all deals with personal beliefs and choice. Sadly, in the end, the energy company will get what it wants and all we will have is the money.

[cowman]

Yea I know Linda. You are an idealist and I am a greedy little money grubber! But hey it takes all kinds to make the world go around?
I suspect you are going to be disappointed. The EUB has one mandate...GET THAT WELL DRILLED! When you realize that fact, then they can be helpful! They want to create the least possible fuss...while filling their mandate!
The water well thing has never stopped a well from being drilled to my knowledge? You might get them to back off aways and they will test your well within a certain distance, but they will drill the well.

[cakadu]

Those are your words, cowman, not mine. We are all motivated by different things, mine just doesn't include money. For others it does and that is okay with me because that is what makes everyone special.

I am not going to be disappointed because I fully realize and understand that the well will be drilled, consequences be damned. Emrald's point about there being legislation in place before we just go off on a tangent is a valid one and that is what I would like to see. I do have great concerns about our groundwater supplies and what the implications of our current actions will be on future generations.

We are moving so quickly these days, with no benchmarks that we simply cannot know or understand the long-term impacts of these frenzied actions. A little planning and forethought can go a long way.

[cowman]

Well I think you might find there are several rules and regulations in place in regards to water wells?
I believe the EUB and the oil and gas companies are trying their best to get that message out, but they need to do a better job...no two ways about it?
There was an article in one of the local papers about some of the frustration experienced by the industry? It basically quoted an EUB sokesman who said you bring in the experts, they all say its not a problem and best science says etc. etc.....and then someone who doesn't have a clue says "It ruined my well!" "I have methane in my well"...things like that! Sort of don't confuse me with the facts!
We've always had methane in our wells...some as shallow as 50 feet! My neighbor called me this winter and said his darned well is dry...those $#@% coalbed companies! I helped him pull up the pipe...rotten foot valve!
Any oil or gas company must case the well through any aquifier...that is the law? Can a frac get into an aquifier? Don't know but they did change the rules on that in about February...where they can't frac within a certain distance from the aquifier...I believe either 200 feet or 200 meters...I'll find out. They now know the coal frac is virtually all horizontal with very little vertical movement...like maximum 20 feet.
Personally I doubt you need to worry about your water? They've been punching holes around here since the early fifties and a lot of them were not very eco friendly! No problems so far.
Is the risk zero? Well no...there is no such thing as zero risk...but I would suggest it is fairly small? Instead of listening to one side only, like the eco lady from Rosemary, you should listen to the other side, too? As I said it is unfortunate the CBM companies have not done a better job presenting their case. Doreen Rempel of MGV is a good communicator...we need more people like her.
Bottom line is we need to access this resource, and we need to do it in the best way possible.

[farmers_son]

Cowman: I tend to agree with much of your comments here. However I would point out that while "we" need to access this resource, "we" being defined as for profit, U.S. owned if not based energy companies, that the negative impacts fall upon the local people who may or may not share in any of the benefits.

Water is important on a farm and, for most of us with cattle and limited financial means, when we turn on the tap and no water comes out it is a very great concern. Like what would we do if we lost our water? The energy company may or may not be to blame and they may or may not help restore a water supply. Seismic does hurt water wells, it is reasonable to be concerned about fracing shallow coal seams. For the most part people realize the EUB does not have the protection of the general public as their first concern, and for certain farmers do not rate even as high as a city dweller in the EUB's eyes, rather the EUB mandate it is to further energy development in this province.

That leaves it up to farmers to look after their concerns. If we won't look after our water it is for certain no one else will.

[farmers_son]

Plus, any farmer that has taken the route of intervenor and made things uncomfortable for not only the energy company but the EUB is branded as a fanatic......particularly if they know how to work the system regarding board hearings etc.

Dealing with a 'dumb farmer' is a lot easier than dealing with one who knows how the system should work and won't back down !!!!!!!

[cowman]

Well Farmers son the oil and gas company don't get it all? Someone gets royalties on everything that comes out of that hole, whether it is the government, a freeholder, CPR or Hudson Bay...or their offshoots?
Not all oil and gas companies are American and certainly not CBM companies? Encana and Trident?
Of course water is important. What I was saying is the industry does a good job of protecting those water wells. I actually don't know of any well that has gone dry...PROVEN...not hearasy...due to a gas/oil well being drilled? About four years ago they drilled a well about three miles from a neighbor and within about a week his water got all muddy and cloudy! Cleared up in about a week. Now I have no doubt the company drilled through the stream that supplied his well and that is what caused the mud but the casing fixed that.

[farmers_son]

Cowman: The oil companies do not get it all, but they get most of it.

I recall for many years there was no proven link between sulphur emissions and health problems with cattle although the anecdotal evidence from producers suggested that the problem was there. It took a significant research project to show the link existed and it was years before that study was conducted. Before that the energy sector denied any problem existed just like they deny any problem exists with water wells.

See: http://www.albertabeef.org/CABIDF/03reports/06christophsnF.html

Since there is not any funding to do research into the water well problems that are occurring in areas with significant energy development then it should not surprise anyone that a link between the two will never be “proven” although the anecdotal evidence is there just like it was for sulphur emissions and cattle health. I am sure that no funding for such a project will be forthcoming from our Alberta government. The official line from the province now is that methane occurs naturally in the water so that serves as some indication of how they intend to treat the problem.

Trident Exploration Corp. is an Alberta registered company with its voting shareholders made up of:

Aurora Energy LLC
Salt Lake City, Utah

Nexgen Energy Canada Inc.
Aurora, Colorado

NRL Energy Investments Ltd.
Calgary, Alberta

The Southern Ute Tribe
Durango, Colorado

Trident CBM Corp
Salt Lake City, Utah

The majority of our energy industry is owned by the United States directly or indirectly through Canadian subsidiaries. The reality is our oil and gas industry is mostly foreign owned. And that is where the profits end up, somewhere else.

According to Forbes not one of the 10 ten oil companies in the world is based in Canada. Italy, China, Russia, France have ownership of their oil, Canada does not have ownership of its energy resources even though we are the worlds 8th largest oil producer.

[silverback]

Well then why don't you start your own oil/gas company, build it up until you have as many employees as the companies you are listing (in Canada), and then turn it over to the government so that all the profits remain in your province??

If you want the government to run every aspect of your life just admit it finally!

Quit wanking about the big,bad U.S.A. and get your government to take over all private business so that the word profit is completely eliminated from your vocabulary. I would imagine they will listen, surely everyone must feel the same about the word profit as you?