Letters to the Editor

Monday 13 June 2011

Shale Gas Testing Going On in Holtville Area But Locals Not Notified

By Ellen Moore



The Purple Violet Press has obtained pictures showing evidence of shale gas exploration in the Holtville area, located north of Boiestown. Locals nearby said they aren't aware of any information distributed to let them know shale gas testing involving explosives is going on in their neighborhood.

The pictures clearly show materials used in the seismic testing phase of shale gas exploration found on or near a dumpster on the property, along with two all-terrain vehicles presumably used to travel across the land.



Materials in the dumpster include empty boxes of detonators used with explosives that are set off in the test well thirty to fifty meters deep, creating waves collected by devices called geophones that indicate whether natural gas may be present.


Also found in the dumpster were empty bags of environmental cement used to plug the test wells. This type of cement is less porous than regular cement which can help prevent leakage.


Laying beside the dumpster was a shale gas seismic testing drill bit used for drilling 'shot holes' into the ground  in search of gas.


One resident, quoted on the condition on anonymity, said upsetting him most is the irony that, "...the property is owned by an individual who works as a forest ranger employed by the Department of Natural Resources, someone who's livelihood is partly charged with the care and protection of the land."

1 comment:

  1. This company from the US does not tell the truth about what they do or what they have done to destroy our land , pollute our water, ruin our roads. They are only concerned with satisfying their own self-serving greed and that of their stockholders.
    And our government is naive enough to give them permission to test and as far as anyone knows now, permission to start extracting gas via fracking, They had better start listening to the taxpayers who elected them and are paying their salaries!! posted by Carol Ring, Rothesay NB

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