A coalition of environmental groups has filed court action against British Columbia’s Oil and Gas Commission and energy company Encana Corp. (TSX:ECA) over the use of water from lakes and rivers in hydraulic fracturing for shale gas.
The petition filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Wednesday claims the Crown agency responsible for regulating the oil and gas industry has been granting repeated short-term water permits for use in fracking — a violation of the provincial water act.
“The commission has become the go-to place for quick water access,” Karen Campbell, a staff lawyer for the environmental justice group Ecojustice, said outside the courthouse.
Canadian Press – November 13, 2013.