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NWT chapter says ConocoPhillips Sahtu well capping plan needs work

Sahtu map

CBC reports, “The N.W.T. chapter of the Council of Canadians wants ConocoPhillips to beef up its plan to monitor inactive wells in the Sahtu.”

The Sahtu Region is one of five administrative regions in the Northwest Territories (see map).

The article notes, “ConcoPhillips horizontally fractured two of its four exploration wells about 20 to 50 kilometres south of Norman Wells last year. This winter, it wants to go back and cap them all…Once the wells have been capped, the company plans to inspect them next spring, then, if there are no problems, every five years until exploration starts again or the company determines they won’t be opened again.”

Lois LittleBut, “some N.W.T. residents, including Lois Little, who is with the Council of Canadians, say that monitoring the wells every five years isn’t good enough. ‘We know that leakage from the well casing is something that does occur’, she says, ‘and the possibility of it occurring increases as those wells age.’ The Council of Canadians wants ConocoPhillips to regularly monitor ground water around the four wells, and the condition of the casings, and report the findings to the public. They are also asking ConocoPhillips to disclose how much fracking fluid was recovered from the wells, and how much was left behind.”

According to the news report, “The public has until June 12 to submit comments to the Sahtu Land and Water Board on ConocoPhillips’ plans.”

The chapter has been campaigning for a moratorium on fracking in the Northwest Territories.

The chapter’s Facebook page is here.

Further reading
Northwest Territories chapter calls for fracking moratorium (January 2015 blog)
NWT chapter supports second petition calling for a moratorium on fracking (February 2015 blog)


Photo: Chapter activist Lois Little.