An Alberta farmer accused of plotting to blow up oil and gas sites maintains he is being held on “trumped up” charges.
During an interview from jail in Peace River, Alta., Wiebo Ludwig, said he hopes his fight and stay in jail helps to “expose” the energy industry.
“We’ve lost four children in the process of being gassed, we’ve lost lots of animals in the process of being gassed. We’ve thrown up, I’ve been knocked down in the field from gases.
“What do you do in situations like that? You don’t always know what to do. You just feel your way along.”
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Ludwig’s preliminary hearing is set for May 3 in Grande Prairie, Alta., where he and Richard Boonstra are scheduled to face nine charges each of conspiracy and mischief under the criminal code. These include destroying or damaging property over $5,000 and counselling to possess explosives with intent to damage property.
Police arrested Ludwig and Boonstra on Jan. 15 for incidents that occurred between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30 last year. Over the past two years, the Grande Prairie area of northwestern Alberta has experienced well-site explosions, pipeline tampering and other vandalism.
Ludwig and Boonstra both live with their extended families on a Hythe-area farm near Grande Prairie.
Yet one of their neighbors said she has experienced no problems with oil companies.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say there could be some health risks associated with oil and gas but they’re certainly not, from what we can tell, the extreme the Ludwigs are claiming,” said Gisela Everton.
“I think it’s pretty extreme when nobody else in the area is having the same problems.”
From April 1997 to March 1998, the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board received about 900 complaints on 1,100 different energy issues, said Greg Gilbertson, senior adviser with the board.
The biggest issue is public safety, followed by flare concerns and animal welfare, he said, adding 86 percent of all complainants are satisfied after the process.
David Luft, vice-president of environment and operations for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, said the industry deals effectively with complaints.
“We’ve had a pretty good track record on that,” said Luft.
The Ludwig’s problems started about seven years ago, said Harmony Schilthuis, Ludwig’s oldest daughter. After a gas leak, she said, she lost nearly half of her lambs to abortions. Since then the family has complained about stillbirths, miscarriages and birth defects in their animals that they blame on the 10 nearby gas wells.
Ludwig and Boonstra have been denied bail twice, but their lawyer Richard Secord plans to reapply.
Secord said he thinks more farmers upset with energy companies will bring cases forward thanks to the publicity of this case.
As well, there is controversy surrounding the RCMP investigation. RCMP officers have admitted to blowing up a shack near an oil well to aid their investigation.
Ludwig has called for a ban on flaring, a process that burns off excess gas from oil wells, but doubts energy companies will go along with that. And since the Alberta government rakes in profits from the industry – $26.79 billion in 1997 – he doubts regulations will be properly enforced.
But Gilbertson defends the energy board. “You can ask anyone on this board. Public safety and environmental safety are our number one priorities.
“We never, ever satisfy every one because some say ‘remove that flare’ or ‘remove that gas plant’ and we can’t do that.”
Eight percent of solution gas produced by Alberta’s 75,000 active wells is flared, said Gilbertson, who said that leaves about 5,000 flaring wells.
Industry targets call for gas flare reductions of 15 percent by the end of 2000 and 25 percent by the end of 2001.
Ludwig, who is thinking of moving from the area, said he has heard promises before and is doubtful significant changes will occur. In the meantime, he thinks there will be more controversy.
“There are lots of people sitting on a powder keg. I’m surprised there isn’t more reaction on the part of people who are pushed in a corner and I think there will be if they keep covering these things up and using all kinds of high-handed corruption to do it,” said Ludwig, who thinks his own family has shown an “amazing amount of restraint.”
