Ontario Is The Last Horse In The Race to Keep ‘Fracking’ Poisons Out Of Niagara River

A Foreword by Doug Draper

Unlike the olden days – way back in the 1980s – when St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley was then environment minister in the Ontario Liberal government of David Peterson and made a name for himself as one of the more progressive environmental voices in politics at that time, these days he seems to wait, for months if need be, to see which way the horses have left the barn, then he follows them.

Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley finally wades in on dumping “fracking waste” poisons through a New York treatment plant to the Niagara River.

In fairness to Bradley, he was belatedly returned to the province’s environment portfolio last year by one Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty who so obviously couldn’t give a fig about environmental protection. Bradley has apparently been told (say some good sources) not to bother pushing environmental issues in this Liberal cabinet because the premier, who goes trucken’ himself  around in a great big honkin’ SUV (at the risk of repeating myself) couldn’t give a fig about environmental protection.

So it is not so surprising that it would take months for Ontario’s recycled environment minister Jim Bradley to get some clearance from the spin masters in the premier’s office to respond to a request by Niagara-on-the-Lake environmental activist Andrea Duncan to speak out about a plan by American petro-chemical companies to dump chemically contaminated ‘fracking’ waste into the Niagara River through the Niagara Falls, New York wastewater treatment plant. 

Duncan and many other residents from both sides of the river were in Niagara Falls, New York and Buffalo, New York back in February, and even before then, to successfully press the councils of both those cities to declare a ban on fracking wastes in their municipalities, which meant they could not be trucked in her from Pennsylvania and other places where gas fracking in the lower bedrocks of the earth is taking place, and flushed through the Niagara Falls, New York treatment plant. To the credit of the Niagara Falls, New York council, it voted for the ban despite the fact the city could have made money off this scheme.

Then that gets us back to the call to Bradley, McGuinty and company to say something about this at the time. What Niagara At Large is posting below is Andrea Duncan’s response to the all-too-late reply by Bradley and the complete test of the letter Bradley sent her late this May. I might add, thanks for your interest Mr. Bradley, but the battle to keep this chemical crud out of the river was fought, like about four months ago.

What follows is a recent submission to Niagara At Large from Niagara, Ontario environmental activist Andrea Duncan, followed after that by the belated letter she received from the honourable Ontario environment minister Jim Bradley.

A Note from Andrea Duncan, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

 Concern and action from the present provincial government…..I think NOT!

Last year there were rumblings about the possibility of the Niagara Falls, NY water board taking on the treatment of toxic hydro-fracking chemicals for eventual release into the Niagara River, the source of drinking water for many communities downstream including Toronto. There were no studies done and in fact the water board didn’t know what chemicals were included due to the proprietary formulas of the mix which the gas companies are not required to reveal. Also the fracking process causes radiation to be released into the by product.

We first learned of this last summer and have attended monthly meetings at the water board in Niagara Falls NY to protest  and remind them that the Niagara River and Lake Ontario are shared waterways and that this plan was dangerous. I wrote to Mr. Bradley in late February of this year.

There was a meeting of the Niagara Falls NY city Council in early March where many people spoke against the plan, myself included. The council unanimously voted against fracking within city limits and also the treatment of the toxic waste at the treament centre. A HUGE success for the good guys! In fact we had coverage from the New York Times on the vote.

Now all this happened away back in early March. I JUST received an email from Mr. Bradley (letter follows) on May 30. Where has he been all this time? I expect our leaders in government to to be more ‘in the loop’. All this went down in early March and on May 30 we receive a letter?

Hi. We JUST received this response from Jim Bradley! Talk about a slow turn around. I feel like telling him that he or one of his staff at least should have taken more of an interest when we were fighting the battle! Cheers, Andrea

From: “Minister, MOE (ENE)” <Minister.moe@ontario.ca>
Date: May 30, 2012 3:38:07 PM EDT

Dear Mr. and Ms. Duncan:

Thank you for your e-mail of February 17, 2012 about a proposal by Niagara Falls Water Board (New York) to explore the potential to treat wastewater from high-volume hydraulic fracturing at a Niagara Falls (New York) wastewater treatment plant and concerns about possible impacts to water quality in the region.

A number of federal, provincial and state authorities are involved in this issue.  As Ontario’s Minister of the Environment, I am aware of the concerns that have been raised in the Niagara Region, on both sides of the border, regarding this proposal.  While my ministry does not have regulatory oversight for the proposal itself, I recognize the concerns that have been raised. 

Ontario has a particular interest in future hydraulic fracturing activities that may affect the shared waters of the Great Lakes Basin.  At the same time, we recognize that the effectiveness of New York State’s regulatory framework for managing wastewater depends on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation imposing and enforcing appropriate effluent discharge limits.  This includes monitoring conditions on wastewater facilities that treat wastewater from hydraulic fracturing. 

I asked senior staff within my ministry to contact their counterparts at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.  We have requested that New York State authorities keep us informed about proposals to discharge treated hydraulic fracturing wastewater that may affect shared waters, including the Niagara River. 

It is important to note that efforts are also underway to better understand the environmental risks associated with high-volume hydraulic fracturing.  For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is undertaking a study to understand the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water resources.  Initial research results are expected by the end of 2012 with a goal for a final report in 2014.

At the federal level in Canada, in response to a request from the Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of the Environment, the Council of Canadian Academies has announced that it will undertake an evidence-based assessment on the state of knowledge of potential environmental impacts from the exploration, extraction and development of Canada’s shale gas resources.  The Council will also assess the current state of knowledge regarding associated mitigation options.  The full assessment process is expected to take 18 to 24 months and will include a rigorous peer review exercise. 

I also want to assure you and other interested stakeholders that the Province of Ontario has a well-defined regulatory framework to protect the province’s groundwater and surface water, including the Great Lakes.  My ministry is the lead for the Niagara River Toxics Management Plan which was established to address cross-border issues along the river.  As an associate member of the Great Lakes Commission, Ontario encourages bi-national, coordinated approaches to deal with threats to our shared water resources.  Rest assured that our government, through the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Natural Resources, will continue to work with our partners to ensure the best interests of our province and our residents. 

Again, thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention, and please accept my best wishes.

Yours sincerely, Jim Bradley, Minister

(Niagara At Large invites our readers who care to share their views on this column, just so long as you are also willing to share your name with them.)