The known and unknown side effects of fracking — a controversial type of natural gas extraction — should push
citizens to action, those gathered at a public meeting in St. Catharines were told Thursday.
Although the drilling isn't taking place in Ontario, most of the southern province has underlying shale ripe for fracking
and several oil and gas companies have leased rights to shale gas exploration with private landowners.
"We really have to get the pressure on to the Ontario government to ban it," said John Jackson of Great Lakes United.
Jackson was one of three speakers talking about the dangers of fracking at the St. Catharines Centennial Library Thursday
night at a meeting sponsored by the St. Catharines and District Council of Women.
The public meeting came on the same day the Council of Canadians called on the Ontario government to ban fracking.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves inserting pipes vertically and horizontally in the ground and pushing water
mixed with chemicals and sand down through them. The blast cracks the shale in order to release natural gas in the rock. The
gas then come up the pipe to the surface.
Jackson said some concerns include what's in the chemcials that are pumped into the ground, which haven't been disclosed
by the industry. The effects underground, such as where some of the water goes, are also not known and in Ohio is believed
to have caused 11 earthquakes since March 2010.
"I think it's alarming that more people aren't talking about this," said Jamie King, a Niagara-on-the-Lake counillor before
the meeting.
The issue initially came up in Niagara-on-the-Lake when Niagara Falls, NY's water board was looking at the possibly of
processing wastewater from fracking facilities.
King was concerned about the discharge of large quantities of chemicals from fracking fluids into the Niagara River and
Great Lakes basin.
He said there's big pressure for fracking in the United States right now to create energy independence and jobs.
But he said more research needs to be done.
The town council called for a moratorium on fracking a year ago. It was supported by St. Catharines, Thorold, Fort Erie
and Wainfleet, but has not received the support of Regional council.
"We can't take an isolationist approach as Canadians," King said.
He also spoke at the meeting and told those gathered that if the provincial and federal governments won't push the discussion
forward, citizens have to push it forward.
