I read the article by your columnist Jill Cunningham and enjoyed most of it until her less than scientific remarks regarding the energy industry’s extraction processes. There is absolutely nothing more foolish than to say that natural resource extraction is becoming dirtier.
A minuscule amount of research will easily prove the opposite. Resource companies are able to produce the natural resources 1,000 times more efficiently than in the past while continuously improving the process. Also, to say that fracking, oil sands production and deep sea drilling is more dangerous than previous is a scare tactic used by individuals that don't have any knowledge of the industry.
All three of the indicated areas have dramatically improved their efficiency and environmental footprints and as for being dangerous their safety record is something to be proud of. The natural resources companies continuously strive to do better, and almost without exception, exceed government or industry standards.
Resource companies are just like any business, they don't want to be targeted for doing anything wrong and do not want negative media coverage. I'm not sure who you think is spewing toxic chemicals into the atmosphere but if you have any proof of this happening you should report them to the proper authorities.
Please don't include CO2, it's plant food and not a pollutant. Your comments on polluting all over the world has nothing to do with our Canadian resource companies and may be somewhat correct as other countries don't have our stringent industry standards. Any company worth its mettle will look for inexpensive means of doing its business, that doesn't make them bad corporate citizens, it shows their shareholders they know how to run an efficient business.
Fear mongering without data is not very professional.
Trevor Hogue, St. Albert
