Liberals speak on Sulfolane-contaminated wells by Gord Fortin, May 8, 2014, Edson Leader
The Alberta Liberal Party said they too would like to see the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development release all records on Sulfolane-contaminated wells in South Rosevear.
“I think that is the very least of what both the government, the ministry of environment and the AER could do,” Alberta Liberal caucus critic for environment Laurie Blakeman said. She said people have been saying their wells have been off for a long time. … She said concerns are usually blown off. “They (residents) are blown off by the government,” she said. She said the people could be told nothing is wrong or that something is wrong but it has nothing to do with industrial activity. She said usually something else, contamination in a nearby river or a natural process could be the scapegoat.
“I really feel for people,” she said. “You know there is something with your water and you can even prove there is something there that shouldn’t be there.”
Blakeman would also like to see the government acknowledge there is a problem instead of denying.
She said she would like to see the monitoring system changed as well. The new monitoring system recently set up is too biased in her opinion. She claimed it was paid for by industry and chaired by industry sympathizers.
“We don’t have good monitoring,” she said.
She said collection of statistics is equally bad in her opinion.
She also said regulations need to be enforced because to her the non-compliance rate is unbelievable. She claims companies that are not complying are not getting fined. They get a non-compliance fee.
She admitted that she does not know what the government is doing with regards to Sulfolane regulations. She said this had been a concern of hers for some time.
She recommended everyone in South Rosevear think of safety first and not to use the water for anything. She said residents should press the government for answers and solutions. She also suggested they also let the government know you don’t think what is happening is right.
“I think the difficulties people in that area are experiencing with their water is just short of a crime,” she said. [Emphasis added]
[Refer also to:
Snap of Sulfolane search on the AER website on May 14, 2015