Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister of ENR regarding the fracking technology that will possibly be used in the Sahtu. I want to ask the Minister regarding this technology what the Environment and Natural Resources baseline data information he’s using to measure the impacts and quality of land, air, water, animals. What type of information does he have to look at the types of impacts that fracking could cause in our region?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government’s working collectively to assess the potential impacts of fracking. We’re working, and have involved the committee, to pull together guidelines and best practices. We intend to come forward in the next couple of months with what we think are guidelines for consideration as it pertains to fracking. We’re working, as well, to establish baseline information on groundwater, surface water, wildlife habitat issues working with, of course, the Environmental Research and Studies Fund that exists. It is funded partially by industry. We want to pull all this information together. This is not going to be a short-term commitment, it’s going to be a longer-term commitment as we look at the potential in the central Mackenzie Valley.
The oil companies are very encouraged with the Canol shale play in the Sahtu. I want to ask the Minister, within the next couple months, I believe even by next month, there might be possibly an application going in for horizontal fracking in the Sahtu. The Minister has talked about the long term. Is there anything in the short term between now and the application that has reached the regulatory boards? Is this information going to be sufficient for us to judge it on the merits of this procedure?
Every application, as far as I’m aware, has to do in their area some initial drilling to set a baseline so they know exactly what is going to be taking place in the ground beneath their feet. There are processes the application will have to go through and we will see what is contained in the detail of the application. It will go through the appropriation processes and the determinations will be made in due course.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the process of the application for fracking does go through in the Sahtu possibly next month, possibly this summer, do we have enough protection for the people of the Northwest Territories, protection for the people in the Sahtu region that we could withstand the test of the application saying yes, we have the baseline information? Can the Minister assure me we have the baseline information on the animals, the water, the air, the things that need to be to ensure our lifestyle will remain intact, even if we go ahead with the fracking?
I can tell the Member that we’re hard at work putting all the pieces in place, doing the proper groundwork to make sure we have the procedures and practices that are necessary if horizontal hydraulic fracturing is going to be considered and contemplated, and to get ready for the use of that technology.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Part of the application for the hydraulic horizontal fracking would be, of course, the application. Is our government going to wait to see what type of information the application is going to be calling for, or are we going to go ahead and say, well, we have to look at the baseline for the water, quality of the air, the animals? I’m trying to get a sense that we have a good stance in terms of responding to the application that when it does come through, it is coming through.
We have been hard at work on this now for well over a year, gathering information, doing our planning work. We’ve had meetings with the National Energy Board. There is a clear recognition that we’re coming into a territory where there are some gaps in terms of groundwater, surface water and wildlife data that have to be made up. Each project will be looked at on its merit as we continue to do the broader required work in terms of gathering the baseline data.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
