Oil & gas & frac companies poisoning Alberta families, injecting toxic chemicals into community air, on roads & food land & in drinking water aquifers Go Free while Edmonton dry cleaner first person in Canada to get jail sentence for using dangerous chemicals

2015 12 19 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY & MERRY CHRISTMAS! CHEMICALS ILLEGALLY INJECTED BY ENCANA IN 2004 INTO ROSEBUD’S DRINKING WATER AQUIFERS REMAIN SECRET, CONTRARY EVEN TO ALBERTA’S RULES OF COURT:

Encana still has not filed with Ernst cleaned up records for their document exchange (which had a December 19, 2014 deadline ordered by Chief Justice Wittmann); chemicals Encana injected into Rosebud’s drinking water aquifers also not yet disclosed, even though required under the Court Rules, including all trade secrets.

2004, Encana secretly illegally frac’s Rosebud’s drinking water aquifers, in secret, without a permit to divert fresh water, as required under Alberta’s Water Act.

Encana Shallow CBM Well 05-14-27-22-W4M Slide 57 in 2012 09 22 From Cape Town To Yukon Whitehorse

2014 05 24 snap Countenay presentation by Ernst In my community encana frac'd directly into Rosebud drinking water aquifers

Encana’s 5-14 illegal aquifer fracs on file at Alberta’s Groundwater Database

2005, Encana admits frac chemicals used in Alberta are toxic:

2005 02 EnCana frac fluids & drilling waste chemicals Suffield Alberta to PTAC Last Slide Next Steps Reduce Toxicity of Frac Fluids

Results below from Alberta regulator sampling:

2006 Toxic chemicals found by the regulator in Rosebud Hamlet drinking water

2006 Toxic chemicals found by the regulator in Ernst drinking water

2014 06 18 To this day Encana and the Alberta Regulators refuse to disclose what chemicals were injected into Rosebud fresh water zones

And, the life threatening natural gases frac’d and released into the community’s drinking water:

30 to 66 mg per litre methane in Rosebud drinking water after Encana frac'd the Rosebud fresh water aquifers

Slides from Ernst speaking events, 2011-2014

When will oil patch management & CEOs be jailed for the company they are working for fracing a community’s drinking water aquifers, releasing life-threatening explosive levels of gases into citizen water wells, homes, and businesses, and covering the atrocities up?

Gywn Morgan and 200 Encana gas wells frac'd above 200 m at Rosebud Alberta

Edmonton dry cleaner first person in Canada to get jail sentence for using dangerous chemicals by Tony Blais, February 23, 2016, Edmonton Journal

An Edmonton businessman has become the first person in Canada to get a jail sentence on a conviction under environmental laws governing the use of carcinogens in dry cleaning.

Ali Eldin, 68, was handed a four-month conditional sentence Tuesday to be served in the community, after pleading guilty to five Canadian Environmental Protection Act offences relating to the use of tetrachloroethylene, which is also known as perchloroethylene or PERC.

Provincial court Judge Janet Dixon slammed Eldin for not complying with federal regulations despite previous warnings and convictions which educated him on the risk to both employees and the public from the use of such “nefarious” and “insidious” chemicals.

“You say you care about your employees and the environment, but actions speak louder than words. PERC is bad stuff,” Dixon said. “You need to go to jail for this.”

However, the judge agreed that Eldin could serve his sentence in the community under house arrest for the first two and a half months and a daily curfew for the balance, saying she believes he will be deterred as a result of the “shame” placed on him and his family.

Eldin, a married father of three who has been in the dry-cleaning business for 29 years, must also perform 60 hours of community service. He was ordered to take out a full-page ad in a national magazine for the dry-cleaning industry, explaining his convictions and sentence. [Who has the courage to order Gwyn Morgan, ex-Encana-CEO, and Gerard Protti, ex-Encana-VP (now Chair of the regulator), to do the same?]

Court heard Eldin is the owner of First Class Cleaners and also owns and operates several dry-cleaning facilities, including Todd Cleaners at 8905 99 St. The 2013 offences took place at First Class Cleaners, 10050 105 St., which is now only being used as a pickup depot.

Prosecutor Michelle Ferguson told court that tetrachloroethylene is both a water and an air contaminant which is harmful to the environment and to people, and can be hazardous in cases of skin contact or inhalation. She said it is a proven carcinogen for animals and a probable carcinogen for humans.

Ferguson said the regulations require that tetrachloroethylene and its waste water and residue must be stored in closed containers at all times. The chemical can only be used when a secondary containment system is in place and all residue must be taken to a waste management facility within 12 months.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Environment Canada enforcement officers did several inspections at First Class Cleaners in May 2013 and noted that containers with tetrachloroethylene had no covers and there was no secondary containment system being used. The chemical was also found in other areas without secondary containment. As well, waste containing the hazardous chemical had not been shipped out within the 12-month deadline.

[How Encana stores chemicals in the rain at Rosebud:

2006 Encana lease near Rosebud Alberta Chemicals in the rain

Court heard Eldin received warning letters about violations of thetetrachloroethylene regulations in 2005 and 2007. He was fined in both 2009 and 2010 after pleading guilty to related offences.

Defence lawyer Robert Bruce told court that Eldin was guilty of “errors of omission” and said he had been too busy at the time to “properly supervise” his employees.

“He is extremely contrite and quite embarrassed, to say the least,” said Bruce, adding Eldin is now in compliance with the regulations at all of his facilities.

Eldin told the judge he has been working hard to follow the regulations for the past three years and said all of his employees are at Todd’s Cleaners and not exposed to the “dangerous chemical.” [Emphasis added]

[Refer also to:

“It looks like fracking has unearthed an unbargained for and serious cancer risk in peoples’ homes.” John Hopkins study links radon levels in Pennsylvania homes to fracking: “These findings worry us”

“After four years, you lose hope,” he says. “There’s no hope.” Four years without water in frac’d Pennsylvania community; Eleven years without safe water in Rosebud after frauds by Alberta’s “Best in the world” regulators enable Encana’s frac crimes

U.S.Centers for Disease Control Preliminary Study: Finds dangerous levels of benzene in frac workers’ urine; Imagine the urine of children living beside frac’ing

Federal judge excuses Shell’s pollution of Illinois town’s groundwater with carcinogen benzene 26,000 times greater than allowed by state law

Inspector general’s report says EPA justified investigating drinking water contaminated with dangerous levels of methane and benzene near fracking

Garfield County commissioners, public hear results of 9 year study after regulator determined Encana contaminated West Divide Creek with methane and benzene

2013: Evidence Presented by Encana to 41st PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION Standing Committee Natural Resources; Encana taking step to stop frac’ing with benzene, diesel, chromium, arsenic, mercury etc Did Encana take the “step to stop,” or was this just lying corporate frac wash? And so did Encana frac with these toxics at Rosebud?  Did Encana inject chromium, benzene, petroleum distillates, phthalates into the community’s drinking water?

Extreme Levels of Benzene Floating Around Gas Wells and Compressor Stations; Fracking effects: A long-term study of drilling’s impact shows harmful health effects

Is Frac Focus More Bogus? Harvard Law School EPI Director Publishes FracFocus Findings: “Rates of withheld chemical ingredients are increasing”

And yet another published frac study showing harm: Toxins found in fracking fluids and wastewater

Yet another study: Fracking plays active role in generating toxic metal wastewater

“What is the acceptable risk for increased risk for childhood cancer? It’s zero.” & Open Letter by Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment to NB Premier Gallant: Termination of Dr. Eilish Cleary, Chief Medical Officer of Health, a concern

What’s in the milk? AER orders Bonavista to deliver safe water to cows at Edson, but not to Albertans living with dangerous levels of Encana’s frac’d gases in their water & homes

New Research: Fracking chemicals lower sperm count in mice when they reach adulthood, Could have fertility implications for people living in shale gas zones

COMPENDIUM 3: SCIENTIFIC, MEDICAL, AND MEDIA FINDINGS DEMONSTRATING RISKS AND HARMS OF FRACKING (unconventional oil and gas), Updated with more than 100 new studies

UPDATED WITH PHOTOS, AER’s EMERGENCY COMMAND CENTRE SET UP 2.5 HRS AWAY! DON’T AER COMMAND STAFF WANT TO DAMAGE THEIR BRAINS? Encana’s Fox Creek blow out spewing 20,000,000,000 litres/day sour gas & condensate: Where’s the regulator? Ex-Encana VP Gerard Protti = AER Chair; Ex-Encana Manager Mark Taylor = AER VP Industry Operations

Taxpayers face $4.3-million bill, maybe millions more, after gas station owner fails to clean up; How many billions do taxpayers face in damages by oil & gas drilling, fracing & quaking, and ignored or covered-up by legally immune, “No Duty of Care” AER?

Toxic taint: Tests in Alberta industrial heartland reveal air-quality concerns

Another New Study Showing Frac Harm: ‘Fracking’ Linked to Low Birth Weight Babies, Pregnant women who live near multiple natural gas wells tend to have smaller infants

The ‘Shocking’ Cost of Letting Companies Pollute for Free; This year alone, Fossil Fuels subsidized to tune of $5.3 Trillion

Alberta Health Services Warning: Drinking water contamination in Kneehill County: Toxic Selenium and Uranium found in private water wells; Metals testing not mandatory before fracing, waste dumping and injection, not even when companies frac into drinking water aquifers

Sour gas from oil wells a deadly problem in southeast Saskatchewan, Human and animal deaths linked to hydrogen sulphide emissions

Edmonton’s bad air is dirtier than Toronto’s. “Levels of contaminants higher than in some of the world’s most polluted cities have been found downwind of Canada’s largest oil, gas and tar sands processing zone…where men suffer elevated rates of cancers linked to such chemicals”

Australia: “urine tests of Tara locals of all ages showed up levels of various toxic chemicals used in the controversial ‘fracking’ of coal seams

Special Issue of Journal Environmental Science and Health, Part A: Toxic/Hazardous Substances and Environmental Engineering: Facing the Challenges – Research on Shale Gas Extraction

CNRL reports aquifer is contaminated with BTEX 10 km from closest seepage site, How far from steam injection site?

Trouble Beneath Our Feet: Leaking Energy Wells a Burning Issue; Big problem, Expensive to Fix, Impossible to Completely Stop

Fracking might be as damaging as thalidomide, tobacco and asbestos, UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser warns in new report: “In all these and many other cases, delayed recognition of adverse effects incurred not only serious environmental or health impacts, but massive expense”

Study: Toxic Chemicals, Carcinogens at Levels Far Exceeding Federal Limits Near Frac Sites, Will almost certainly lead to cancer increase in surrounding areas

How does one meet “half way” an energy regulator that covers up industry’s non-compliance and claims in court it owes Albertans harmed by fracing “no duty of care?”

What took so long for this to be reported? Oil companies fracking into drinking water sources, new research shows

Scientists Find ‘Alarming’ Amount Of Arsenic In Groundwater Near Texas Fracking Sites; New perspectives on the effects of natural gas extraction on groundwater quality

Harper government enabling the frac harm cover up? Environment Canada criticized for leaving fracking chemicals off pollutant list saying not enough frac chemicals used – 362,000 litres of diesel invert lost underground near Alberta family home

The Science is Deafening: Regulators in Texas and Alberta slam doors shut on harmed families, ignore scientific evidence indicating drilling and fracing is contaminating drinking water supplies

Texas Judge John D. Rainey Gives Oil Giant Citgo Slap On the Wrist for 10 Years of Illegal Operations; Restitution to Poisoned Families: “Absolutely Nothing”

Arvin California: Expert Says Independent Air Sample of Evacuated Home Shows Relatively High Levels of Chemicals Linked to Hydraulic Fracturing ]

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