The Cape Breton Post reports that, “Local residents at a public meeting about Petroworth Resources Inc.’s proposed oil well in the Lake Ainslie area have raised concerns about spills and any possible use of a controversial method of oil and gas extraction called fracking.”
“Anne Levesque, a spokesperson for the Inverness chapter of the Council of Canadians, said residents at the Wednesday evening open house asked questions about the potential for an oil spill into the lake and into wells that provide drinking water. …Local residents also questioned government officials about why their opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns come at such a late stage of the process, according to Levesque. ‘They wanted to be involved right from the beginning, not at the end,’ she said in an interview Thursday.”
“Levesque said questions were also raised about any possible use of a controversial method of oil and gas extraction called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as it is commonly known, a process that can involve the use of millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals to free gas from shale. …Neal Mednick, the president of Petroworth Resources, said the company has no plans right now to use fracking methods at the oil well and but said that it could be considered if it was later deemed to be necessary and economically viable. (Levesque) estimated that about 600 people have signed petitions opposing the use of fracking anywhere in Nova Scotia.”
The Cape Breton Post article can be read at http://www.capebretonpost.com/Business/2010-10-14/article-1849628/Lake-Ainslie-residents-raise-concerns-over-fracking-at-public-meeting/1.
Campaign blogs on Lake Ainslie are at http://canadians.org/campaignblog/?s=%22Lake+Ainslie%22.
