RED DEER, Alta. – Wayne and Ila Johnson’s ranch at the base of the Rocky Mountains is in a big bowl. Surrounding that bowl are 17 oil and gas flares burning chemicals 24 hours a day.
The Sundre, Alta. couple is convinced chemicals from those flares are causing fertility and health problems in their cattle.
The Johnsons are not alone. Those attending a day-long workshop on livestock and the oil and gas industry fingered flaring as the biggest concern in the agriculture community.
Using imaginary money, farmers were asked to rate what area of the environment needed the most research the quickest. Emission reduction got the highest investment, said Bill McMillan, workshop facilitator.
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“It’s the area most wanted research,” said McMillan during the workshop summary.
Producers were worried about the emission’s effect on humans, livestock and soil. They want researchers to treat seriously their first-hand evidence of what’s happening on their farms.
Environmentalist Martha Kostuch said researchers sometimes discount evidence from farmers.
“Let’s put weight on the observational evidence,” she told the workshop.
But Rob McManus, manager of environment and safety with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, said he can’t ask oil companies to spend millions of dollars changing their equipment if there is no specific proof the problems stem from the oil and gas industry.
Nor can people expect companies to pay for all the problems.
“If you get the chequebook out and write a cheque out to everyone who said they have a problem – you can’t,” said McManus.
He agreed oil companies have to look at affordable ways of reducing emissions from flares.
Along with the cattle commission, the petroleum association is just one of the groups involved in the Flaring Project Team. The group, established in February, hopes to have a report by the end of the year on some solutions to problems associated with flaring.
It was more than four years ago that an Alberta Cattle Commission delegate asked the commission to look into the effects of the oil and gas industry on livestock.
No one expected it would become one of the biggest issues for the cattle commission.
“This has become a bigger puzzle and a bigger piece of work,” said Gary Sargent, the commission’s general manager.
The commission has published a paper on existing research, but it seemed to leave more questions than answers for many producers. Part of the commission’s work led to the Red Deer workshop.
“We heard loud and clear the process has to continue,” said commission chair Larry Helland.
“I’m encouraged but it is not going to be easy. It’s more of an evolutionary process than a revolutionary process,” he said.
Cadogan-area rancher Roy Hanson came to the workshop to find out if other ranchers had similar concerns, but at the end of the day he wasn’t sure there would be any answers soon.
“I’m afraid there’s not going to be any real change. It’s an exercise in appeasing the public,” Hanson said.
