WATCH: Dangers of Natural Gas Extraction

[Oscar]

WATCH: Dangers of Natural Gas Extraction

http://www.albertaprimetime.com/Stories.aspx?pd=2455

(about 30 mins.)

June 15, 2011

Fracking is a burgeoning technology being used to extract natural gas locked within rock formations. Fluid is pumped into natural or man made fractures under high pressure to open up cracks and access hard to reach reservoirs. Critics are calling for a moratorium on fracking, saying it poses serious health risks to nearby residents, damages the environment and could even cause small earthquakes. Supporters say those claims are overblown, and fracking is essential to Alberta's natural gas industry. Is fracking dangerous? Is it critical to our economic future? How should Alberta proceed? Joining us for this discussion is Jessica Ernst, Rosebud resident and former energy sector consultant is now suing Encana; Tim Marchant, Adjunct Professor of Strategy and Energy Geopolitics at the University of Calgary; and Ben Parfitt, Resource Policy Analyst with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.