Gotta Love The New Alberta

[Harps]

Calgary Herald

2007.08.06

 

Alberta oil spills, blowouts double in past year

 

Alberta's oilpatch recorded a dramatic increase in blowouts and oil spills last year, including a pipeline rupture worse than the spill caused by CN Rail's 2005 train derailment near Wabamun Lake.

 

The Energy and Utilities Board says there were 45 incidents of uncontrollable emission of oil or gas in 2006, more than double the norm of about 20 annually and 30 per cent more than there were in 2005.

 

"It's something that we're looking at very closely," said EUB spokesman Darin Barter. "If there are areas of weakness in our regulations, we need to determine that. Or is it an anomaly? That's what we're assessing now.

"We're very concerned about that number."

 

He couldn't say if the 45 blowouts was a record for Alberta. There were also nearly 100 more spills in 2006 than the previous year, including a massive crude oil spill near Slave Lake that was originally reported as being about 1,260 barrels or 200,000 litres.

 

But an EUB investigation report filed last spring revealed the spill was actually more than six times as big, spilling nearly 1.3 million litres of oil. CN's spill at Wabamun has been estimated at about 800,000 litres.

Barter said the oilpatch regulator was not deliberately trying to downplay the size of the spill.

 

"When an incident occurs like that, it's difficult to get a sense of scale until it's explored and contained," he said.

Barter said the spike in blowouts and spills could be as a result of what he called "a dramatic rise in industry activity." He noted that so far this year there haven't been any blowouts.

 

But oilpatch critics expressed concern about the rising numbers of spills and blowouts, warning that the trend, if it continues, could lead to disaster. Twelve of the 45 incidents last year involved sour gas wells containing deadly hydrogen sulphide.

They fear a blowout of a sour gas well containing high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide could be just around the corner.

 

Liberal energy critic Hugh MacDonald, who worked in the oilpatch, said he was shocked by the data.

"The public certainly should be concerned," MacDonald said. "I worked in a sour gas facility and you never get a second chance with sour gas. Never."

One man died and two others were injured when a sour gas well near Brooks blew out of control and caught fire on Aug. 9, 2005.

MacDonald said that as the oilpatch matures, there should be more monitoring and inspections by the EUB to ensure proper maintenance, including pressure testing, is being conducted on oilpatch equipment.

 

Chris Severson-Baker of the Pembina Institute said the increase in blowouts is "troubling" because as sweet gas reserves dwindle, companies are now developing reserves containing high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide that they had ignored because of the increased cost and danger.

"We know the industry is pushing into areas that are very sour," he said.

"The danger of people being hurt in a blowout is ever present, including after the well has been drilled, which is normally a safer time. But the stats are showing that wells are blowing out even when there isn't drilling activity."

 

Environmentalist Martha Kostuch of the Clean Air Strategic Alliance was surprised and concerned by the spike in blowouts. "I have concerns about the ability to respond to a major sour gas blowout, especially since the rules require that they ignite the well within 15 minutes," Kostuch said.

 

Makes you feel secure in our ability to sustainably and cleanly extract Natural Resorces in Alberta... The environment will definately be there for our children to use and enjoy.

[Harps]

And to top it off, enjoy swimming in Wabamun in the heat?!?

 

CBC Radio Summary: Wabamun Health warning

 

9DE72E-8 CBC-NW / NATIONAL / CBC NEWS: MORNING WE 04 Aug 07 / 220

(41,000) TWO YEARS AFTER A MAJOR OIL SPILL IN

CENTRAL **ALBERTA** HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE

ISSUING NEW HEALTH WARNINGS, A C.N.

RAIL DERAILMENT WEST OF EDMONTON DUMPED

700,000 LITRES OF OIL AND CHEMICALS

INTO LAKE WABAMUN. NOW THE LOCAL HEALTH

AUTHORITY IS WARNING FLOATING TAR BALLS

HAVE BEEN SHOWING UP ON THE WATER.

PEOPLE WHO COME IN CONTACT WITH THE OIL

ARE BEING ADVISED TO WASH WITH SOAP AND

WATER AND THEY SHOULD ALSO CHANGE THEIR

CLOTHES IMMEDIATELY.

 

Have a good day...

[wongrs]

Hurray!

[gravelman]

What percentage of total production do these spills acount for ? Probaly not that high . Its a price we have to pay to the vibrant economy that we have. The majority of us on here are directly or indirectly related to the boom in the oilfield. The majority of these companys spend millions of dollars trying to prevent spills but its going to happen. I for one enjoy living in the richest province. If it wasnt for the oil and gas we wouldnt be much better then newfoundland. What about your contribution to the envirnoment are you 100% green i doubt it.. Just my opinon go ahead jump on me if you want but the next time you drive 100 km to go fishing better do it in a electric car powered by green wind power.

[Harps]

Its a price we have to pay to the vibrant economy that we have.

 

O&G is required for us to maintain our standards of western society. I know that and never posted anything different.

 

To think its the price we have to pay in Alberta is delusional. We are out of control and need to slow down before its too late. The oil isn't going anywhere.

You've made your choice and that's fine. I see lost fisheries every day, and I'm not tickled pink about it, I'll tell you that. Especially when what is lost could have been avoided by better planning, a little common sense, and a touch more of that money that (instead) is going into short term gains and pockets rather than a sustainable way of developing.

 

I for one enjoy living in the richest province.

Seems to me that the standard of living has gone down, housing prices up, crime way up, crowds up, traffic up, pollution up, noise up, etc. Yeah, a rich province is great... that's why there is a movement into Saskatchewan for the first time. Give me lower wages but no crowding, less crime, friendly faces, and houses that cost what they should. Is the recession here yet??

 

If it wasnt for the oil and gas we wouldnt be much better then newfoundland.

I like Newfoundland and pretty much everybody I've met from there. I'm not sure what your issue here is, but it stinks of Redneck superiority.

 

The majority of these companys spend millions of dollars trying to prevent spills but its going to happen.

And this is why they will keep increasing. The first thought from somebody who enjoys the outdoors should be "With the profit being made, why can't more of these spills be prevented??"

 

And, there are less wells being drilled in Alberta this year, 2 years of decline. The problem is that nobody cares about what they can't see.

It'll be too late soon now anyways.

 

Just my opinon go ahead jump on me if you want but the next time you drive 100 km to go fishing better do it in a electric car powered by green wind power.

Windmills kill bats, don't ya know??

[lonefisher]

WOW.......

 

 

 

edit in not wowing at you harps just at the damn the enviro as long as I'm happy attitude of the previous post......

funny though that arguement usually does not come out until the debate is already quite heated.

[gravelman]

I have nothing against newfoundland. Met alot of good guys from there and some not so good just like anywhere in the world i was just using them as an example. The economy is on the down sing a month or so ago i heard a stat that precision drilling had half of there rigs shutdown and parked this year thats just the first step. Saskatchewan is the new alberta its only a matter of time till it is booming as big as it was here. What i was trying to say the percentage of spilled material is only a very small percentage of the production so we should be happy that its not more.

[Castuserraticus]

Wow - 45 incidents from drilling nearly 20,000 wells, operating about 1/4 million producing wells, and tens of thousands of kilometers of pipelines. And this is with an influx of hundreds of inexperienced personnel over the past few years. That's an amazing safety record.

[Harps]

Wow - 45 incidents from drilling nearly 20,000 wells, operating about 1/4 million producing wells, and tens of thousands of kilometers of pipelines. And this is with an influx of hundreds of inexperienced personnel over the past few years. That's an amazing safety record.

 

45 blow outs and more than 100 MORE spills than 2005... never said how many spills in 2005. If you want to blame it on inexperienced workers.... well to me that is a problem of unsustainable (too fast) development.

[maxwell]

sure makes ya wonder eh...thanks for the eye opener harps. but i think aslong as "they" are over "there" *hit wont change much

[steelhead]

Your point about people leaving to go to Saskatchewan, just excellent.

 

 

 

Albertans are now the new Ontarians. Remember how we all hated ontarians, well, now we are them. No more friendly albertans anymore. Money, greed and the redneck ways have made us all that. Pretty soon were gonna be like old new yorkers. Theres no friendly people here anymore, not on the rivers, not downtown, they all just stick thier noses up and walk on by. Better than tou attitudes abound. Pretty sick to see it all happen in just 15 short years.

 

 

Also to note, why didnt anyone ever hear about most or all of these incedents. the whole world heard it when CP rail had thier boo boo, but when an oil company does something, we never hear about it being locals.

 

 

 

This province is the most heavily and continually poluting province in our confederacy, and its getting worse daily. Money and greed rules and it feeds of those who never made money like this in thier lives.

 

 

I am one thats gonna head east in the future. This province has gone to crap and its gonna get worse. At least in the east, people arent affected by money like those in this province.

 

 

 

Steelhead

[Castuserraticus]

Most spills are small and are contained within the operating lease. Because the industry is so regulated, these have to be reported also. Only the largest incidents make the news.

 

I find friendly people every where. There's always a few grumps but smile and wish them a good day.

 

"Money and greed rules and it feeds of those who never made money like this in thier lives." I've met some wonderful, giving people who, through hard work, have built successful businesses and become wealthy. I can't imagine there's any real profit in exploiting poor people.

[Taco]

I generally find that generalizations generally suck but I'll think you'll find that a lot of the people rushing around frantically searching for a piece of "their's" haven't resided in the province all that long. Most of us long time residents have seen this all before and are just quietly minding our own business, :ph34r: adjusting as we go.

[birchy]

Albertans are now the new Ontarians. Remember how we all hated ontarians, well, now we are them. No more friendly albertans anymore. Money, greed and the redneck ways have made us all that. Pretty soon were gonna be like old new yorkers. Theres no friendly people here anymore, not on the rivers, not downtown, they all just stick thier noses up and walk on by. Better than tou attitudes abound. Pretty sick to see it all happen in just 15 short years. Steelhead

 

Some aquaintances of mine moved down to Haiti. They were back for a visit last summer and were telling us this story.. The wife - Andie - was out for a walk one evening while here and passed this woman on the street. Andie says "Hi" and the woman stops and says "Excuse me? Do I know you?" Andie says "No, I was just saying hi to be nice." to which the woman replies "Yeh.. well DON'T" with this disgusted look on her face and walks away.

 

Unbelievable how rude people are getting!

[wongrs]

Haiti's been exploited to hell by Canada, the US and France. Their president was ousted by the RCMP and the CIA and their cheap labour force has been exploited by the developed countries. As the story goes, Haiti has a cheaper labour force than China and closer shipping. That's why Gildan t-shirts is moving all their manufacturing operations into that area. There's extreme profit to be made on the backs of poor people.

 

Entirely understandable why she'd be a little cheesed that a North American white dude said hi to her on the street when his country is pummelling her's into the ground.

 

I don't really understand the justification that we need to develop all Alberta's oil resources right now. worldwide oil is diminishing and will continue to do so. Most of the easy to extract stuff is already tapped into which will leave oil shale, oil sands and other heavy oil deposits. Wouldn't we make more $$$ if we waited for the price of oil to go up? The province only makes 1% royalty anyways on oil sands (I believe only 1 oil company pays a higher royalty rate) so we're not exactly raking it in. I'd prefer a little more funding to health care, schools and to fix some of these ridiculous calgary infrastructure problems.

 

But whatever, I'm moving to Ottawa in the winter. Hurray for humidity!

[vhawk12]

The service industry is seeing a downturn for 2 reasons....companies are drilling fewer, less risky, more productive wells. Production is going up, just fewer wells being drilled = less demand in the service industry. #2 The Industry is seeing a bit of a lull right now while infrastructure catches up.

[birchy]

Entirely understandable why she'd be a little cheesed that a North American white dude said hi to her on the street when his country is pummelling her's into the ground.

 

No no.. you misunderstood.

 

My friends Trey and Andie are both Canadian. They are now living in Haiti but were back here visiting friends in Calgary. While HERE, Andie said Hi to a fellow Calgarian on the street and that's the response she got.

[reevesr1]

A couple of observations from someone who has lived in a lot of different places:

 

I have lived in Calgary for about 2 yrs, and have benefitted greatly from the economy here. I think that almost all of the "problems" associated with the city can be directly attributed to overwhelming growth. So naturally, one of the thing people will say is, "let's put some brakes on the growth". The question is How? The realities of the world economy today is that the resources in this province are incredibly valuable. And as long as that is the case, no company will purposefully slow down. If there is money to be made today, they will try to make it. Unfortunately, long term planning seems to be a thing of the past. People are governed by the quarterly report. Bad quarterly report, down go the stock prices and down go peoples (and I'm not just talking upper management here) bonuses and maybe their job. So the fact that the oil or gas is still going to be there tomorrow is absolutely irrelevant. It only matters what it is worth right now.

 

All that being said, with the exception of heavy oil (which is still very strong), while the world oil economy is absolutely booming, Alberta's Natural Gas market is not (and gas drives the bus here.) One of the reasons is with the relatively high operating cost in Alberta, and capital is starting to look attractive in less established economies. One of the many reasons for the high operating cost is the increasing cost of safety. More and more money is being spent on safety and the environment than ever before. And while it is not infallible, (re: the increase in spills and blowouts) it is far better than anywhere I have ever been. Go to Utah one day and tour an oil and gas field. Or my home states of Texas or Louisiana. Or Russia. Alberta is freakin' paradise compared to that. So in a way, the brakes are being put on. Drilling is substantially down this year. The market adjusted to the ovewhelming growth by slowing down. That may well be the case until the next war breaks out, or the next hurricane. When that happens, companies will accept the lower profit margins in Canada for the relative safeness of the investment, and the money will pour back in.

 

What is comforting is that even with the short term decrease in drilling, the economy of Alberta is still booming. I would submit that anyone who wishes for anything less, or looks for a recession (and I know the statement above about a recession was tounge in cheek) is delusional. Trust me, you will trade the problems associated with a recession ot the problems of a booming economy any day of the week. We do not need another bust. While it may be a short term advantage for some parts of the environment, it is devastating to thousands and thousands of families. Stability is the goal, but very hard, if not impossible, to achieve.

 

Could more be done to increase the safety record? Yes, and I think it is. But there is a price for the economic engine of this province. The goal is to limit that price as much as possible.

 

As a final thought, anyone who thinks the people of Alberta are not friendly have not been to many places, IMHO. I find it amazingly friendly for a city of 1 Million. I think the city is just fantastic and is the best place I have ever lived. My wife calls me the Chamber of Commerce. (here are the places I have lived: Houston, New Orleans, Orlando, Chicago, Pocatello Idaho, San Diego, Waikiki, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Calgary).

 

Sorry for the rambly post.

[Harps]

A couple of observations from someone who has lived in a lot of different places:

 

I have lived in Calgary for about 2 yrs, and have benefitted greatly from the economy here. I think that almost all of the "problems" associated with the city can be directly attributed to overwhelming growth. So naturally, one of the thing people will say is, "let's put some brakes on the growth". The question is How? The realities of the world economy today is that the resources in this province are incredibly valuable. And as long as that is the case, no company will purposefully slow down. If there is money to be made today, they will try to make it. Unfortunately, long term planning seems to be a thing of the past. People are governed by the quarterly report. Bad quarterly report, down go the stock prices and down go peoples (and I'm not just talking upper management here) bonuses and maybe their job. So the fact that the oil or gas is still going to be there tomorrow is absolutely irrelevant. It only matters what it is worth right now.

 

All that being said, with the exception of heavy oil (which is still very strong), while the world oil economy is absolutely booming, Alberta's Natural Gas market is not (and gas drives the bus here.) One of the reasons is with the relatively high operating cost in Alberta, and capital is starting to look attractive in less established economies. One of the many reasons for the high operating cost is the increasing cost of safety. More and more money is being spent on safety and the environment than ever before. And while it is not infallible, (re: the increase in spills and blowouts) it is far better than anywhere I have ever been. Go to Utah one day and tour an oil and gas field. Or my home states of Texas or Louisiana. Or Russia. Alberta is freakin' paradise compared to that. So in a way, the brakes are being put on. Drilling is substantially down this year. The market adjusted to the ovewhelming growth by slowing down. That may well be the case until the next war breaks out, or the next hurricane. When that happens, companies will accept the lower profit margins in Canada for the relative safeness of the investment, and the money will pour back in.

 

What is comforting is that even with the short term decrease in drilling, the economy of Alberta is still booming. I would submit that anyone who wishes for anything less, or looks for a recession (and I know the statement above about a recession was tounge in cheek) is delusional. Trust me, you will trade the problems associated with a recession ot the problems of a booming economy any day of the week. We do not need another bust. While it may be a short term advantage for some parts of the environment, it is devastating to thousands and thousands of families. Stability is the goal, but very hard, if not impossible, to achieve.

 

Could more be done to increase the safety record? Yes, and I think it is. But there is a price for the economic engine of this province. The goal is to limit that price as much as possible.

 

As a final thought, anyone who thinks the people of Alberta are not friendly have not been to many places, IMHO. I find it amazingly friendly for a city of 1 Million. I think the city is just fantastic and is the best place I have ever lived. My wife calls me the Chamber of Commerce. (here are the places I have lived: Houston, New Orleans, Orlando, Chicago, Pocatello Idaho, San Diego, Waikiki, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Calgary).

 

Sorry for the rambly post.

 

Not a rambly post, a good perspective.

 

The growth is related to the O&G boom...

Stability is a good goal, but not something that our gov't seems to be working towards. More royalties should be sought and there should be a stricter requirment to follow existing environmental regulations... and a better clean-up program.

The cost of safety should be paramount... Lives would be ruined by recession (yes was tounge in cheek ) but lives are ruined by unsafe work... as well as environmental damage (look at the cancer rate of the reserves near Ft. MacKay... extremely high since O&G moved in).

 

I found that people here aren't as friendly as it once was... a function of the increased rush. Time is money, whether the time it take to do a project (corners are cut) or the time it takes to commute to work. I think people want (need now in Alberta) more money than time. There are worst places... but that doesn't mean we should accept lower standards of niceness (is that even a word??).

 

As it stands, the environment (fish, air, WATER, etc) is under-valued due to narrow-minded economics. Once it is destroyed, we will be lost, wishing instead that we were just in a recession.

 

Cheers,

[Castuserraticus]

Harps - You obviously have no idea of the economics of the oil business or how highly regulated the AB oil industry already is.

 

Tell you what. I'll give you the opportunity to put your money where your attitude is. My company is going to drill a well NE of Edmonton this winter on crown land. You put up $100,000 and we'll give you an interest in the well. I do have to warn you of a few things. It could be a dry hole. Then you're initial investment is gone and you're on the hook for an additional $20k to clean up and restore the lease, and for the next 10+ years for potential liability issues. If the drilling goes smoothly you'll only have to pay the $100k. If there're problems it could cost double that or more. And you better have all the documentation in place with regards to the safety regulations because if, god forbid, someone gets hurt you could end up loosing your home. This means we have to hire expensive knowledgeable people for every operation because even if someone does something incredibly we'll likely still have to share liability.

 

If it's successful you'll have to come up with more money to tie the well in - about another $100k. Hopefully the government will allow you to take the shortest route but they add various caveats that increase the cost. Because it's crown land, we're only allowed to access the well during frozen ground. If there's any problems in the summer you would have to pay your share for heavy lift helicopter access to fix it. If it's an early thaw access may be cut off meaning you won't see any cash until next winter. Also, because it's crown land, we need approval from the local native population to drill and tie-in the well. This is assuming bands from other areas of the AB, BC or Sask don't choose to intervene. They are not subject to the same boundaries as other Canadians. The native consultations are expensive.

 

So you put $200 k into drilling a gas well. That would give you initial cashflow of about $15,000 per month assuming a gas price of ~$6.50. The price today is less than $5 so having drilled the well in the winter when prices tend to be higher you're likely to be quite disappointed during the summer months. Unfortunately the production declines at about 2% per month on the average well so by the end of the first year you'll be receiving only $11,250. The well will be dead in about 5 years and then you better have saved some of the money because we have to abandon the well and restore the site. This will cost about $50k.

 

The long term average return on investment in the oil industry is about 6%. Do you want to bet your $200k alongside that of my shareholders in hopes we can do better?

 

I believe the cancer story and reserves you're referring to was broadcast some time ago in regards to reserves near Fort Chip. This area is nowhere near the oilsands. The areas in that report were around Lake Athabasca which sits in the geological Athabasca basin and is the site of some of the richest uranium deposits in the world.

 

I agree people are more rushed. I grew up in a tiny place where everyone knew everyone and the main activities were working and visiting. The Calgary activities are working and shuttling kids. However, I still find more friendly people than unfriendly. I do tend towards persistent optimism and enthusiasm.

[esleech]

All you can do in the end is worry about yourself, and make a small difference with your OWN actions...and oh yeah, BEEYAH!

[lonefisher]

BEEEYAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Harps]

If we’re going to debate this, let’s start on the same ground… (friendly debate, different perspectives and backgrounds). Here would be my rebuttal…

 

Hopefully the government will allow you to take the shortest route but they add various caveats that increase the cost.

Better to cut off the caribou migration runs, plow over their caving grounds, cover spawning areas and sensitive stream reaches, and disturb traditional hunting areas.

 

Because it's crown land, we're only allowed to access the well during frozen ground.

Nothing to do with the ease of access, across muskeg in the winter vs the summer. Besides the cost differences, who cares if we were to rut up the landscape, and destroy drainage patterns across the whole distance.

Besides, in the winter we can just walk away from the logfill crossings we’ve thrown in and let the spring thaw take it out. Who cares about the stream destruction caused and the spawning migration barriers left behind.

 

If there's any problems in the summer you would have to pay your share for heavy lift helicopter access to fix it.

Its fair that we pay for our own access I guess… the gov’t won’t fix my front step when its broken, and I had to apply for a permit to build it.

 

If it's an early thaw access may be cut off meaning you won't see any cash until next winter.

Plus all the temporary crossings are destroyed and end up choking the stream somewhere else. Or the water cuts a new path around the crossing, depositing all that sediment into the creek.

 

Also, because it's crown land, we need approval from the local native population to drill and tie-in the well. This is assuming bands from other areas of the AB, BC or Sask don't choose to intervene. They are not subject to the same boundaries as other Canadians. The native consultations are expensive.

I think that’s fair considering how most of them live up there (off the land) and the affect we could have on their lives.

 

The well will be dead in about 5 years and then you better have saved some of the money because we have to abandon the well and restore the site. This will cost about $50k.

Or we can cut corners here and nobody goes into the back-forty to see…

 

It appears that you are using simple economics to describe a complex system (probably for the benefit of my simple mind). But the way I figure it, if the oil and gas industry is so damn risky maybe you and I should think about investing somewhere else. Even before you described the economic risk associated with O&G exploration and development, I knew I would never invest my 100k in the industry; I prefer industries with less community, environmental, and economic risks (my own pocket)!

 

I believe the cancer story and reserves you're referring to was broadcast some time ago in regards to reserves near Fort Chip. This area is nowhere near the oilsands. The areas in that report were around Lake Athabasca which sits in the geological Athabasca basin and is the site of some of the richest uranium deposits in the world.

Yeah, I meant Ft Chip: Cancer rate in Fort Chipewyan cause for alarm: medical examiner

And it looks like the Alberta gov’t covered it fairly… Local doctor doubts report on Fort Chipewyan cancer rates

And it was further looked at by the National Review of Medicine: Health Canada muzzles oilsands whistleblower: AB physician sounded cancer alarm, slapped with College complaint

Yeah, it’s all natural Uranium… nothing to do with the moonscape being created upstream.

 

With the cost of living increase and the past cuts to the gov’t regulators, the bureaucracy is going to keep costing industry (in time and money) because of all the empty desks in the offices.

 

There are only a few expectations the public has on the government (besides Klein Bucks). First the public wants to feel assured that the government is providing quality public services (even though some are provided by the private sector). This means enforcing our environmental standards, health standards, and regulating things like insurance and energy costs. Second the public expects governments to facilitate the ability of folks/companies/communities to achieve desired results. The lack of regulatory personnel hampers this (without facilitation there will be no F&W officers to stop poaching, no compliance folks to look at crossings, and no biologists to review the projects). Lastly, the gov’t needs to develop and provide structure (including physical and social infrastructure such as roads, legislation, regulations, organizations, etc). Legislation provides a clear path for oil companies to follow when proposing a drill… with all the drilling that has gone on, you’d think that companies would know the procedure by now.

 

To get back on topic, we are debating the environmental hazards associated with O&G and industrial expansion, and this has less to do with risks associated with investments and everything to do with ensuring due diligence on the part of the resource taker. The onus should be on the person/company capitalizing on the resource extraction (even if it is only 6%) to ensure that their actions are not jeopardizing the rights of other resource users and the resource itself– and here enters government regulatory agencies.

 

I think there is still no excuse for the spills (or the 100's not reported).

 

Cheers

[reevesr1]

Harps,

I'll have a civil discussion with you. Preferrably over a Guiness, that is if you don't drink some sort of organic compound you pinko liberal tree hugger (did I say that out loud? Just foolin'!) By the end of the beers I'll have you rushing out to buy an H1 and a quad. Or maybe I will strip naked, grow my balding hair as long as I can, and chain myself to the nearest sour wellhead.

 

Lots to respond to in your above post. But instead of taking them on one by one, I think I'll wax philsophic for a moment, or maybe two.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is for us to believe supposed facts, opinions, scientific 'findings', etc. that fit nicely with our belief systems. Conversely, how easy it is for us to discount or discredit anything that does not fit those beliefs. I do not in any way exclude myself from my proclivity to fall into that trap. Another thing I have noticed is that over the past couple of decades, environmentalism has become more akin to a religion than anything else, with lots of different sects. Like any religion, there are moderate (faithful stewards of the enviornment), conservative (planet rapers), and fundamental (extremist) movements. How those are defined depends on where you see yourself. In my case (a bit tounge in cheek here)

rickr=moderate steward of the environment. Everyone should think like me

harps=extremist (but a friendly, well intentioned one)

toolman= planet raper (I mean come on, he makes tools for the forestry industry. Just kidding bud!)

 

From Harps viewpoint (again, exaggerating for effect)

Harps=moderate steward of the enviroment

rickr=planet raper (and a American one at that. A Evil man)

PETA=extremist (just a guess)

 

What happens with these labels we tend to give is that many people will only believe someone who is a member of their group. Everyone else is just wrong. Always. About everything. To me, the saddest part is the lack of communication/association between the groups, however you define them. If we don't listen to differing ideas, how do we learn anything? Also, it is BORING to only listen to people who think like you.

 

So to get back to the original discussion: I truly believe the O&G industry has made great strides in my career at better considering its' impact on the environment. We are also much better at reporting where we are falling down. That being said, we certainly have room to improve. So while this economy needs the O&G industry to prosper to maintain its' economic health, the industry needs people who are looking out for the environment to rub our collective noses in it from time to time. A you need us and we need you sort of arrangement, no matter how much we try to deny it. But we do need to listen to each side and not alway instantly start lobbing intellectual bombs at each other. Kumbayaa baby!

[toolman]

How the hell did I get dragged into this discussion...(planet raper) LOL.

Here's my take on it...

If you run a business exploiting our provinces resources and things go wrong, then you are responsible for your mistake and should be held accountable (economically/criminally). There is no need in this modern world for these catastrophic errors to occur in the first place, but they do because of greed.

If I make a little mistake in my small business operation, I will be tarred and feathered by the government.

If a big corporation makes a giant mistake, that has a huge impact on our environment, health, wildlife, they are left off the hook with a stern look and a warning. That and every excuse that follows, whether philisophical or economic is just plain old fashion BS....BS boys, that's exactly what it is, even though those fancy Havard guys, sure got nice shovels.