There is an Oil and Gas Open House to happen in Turner Valley at the Flare ‘N Derrick Community Hall on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 from 3:30PM to 7:30PM. A number of representatives from various oil and gas companies will be in attendance, as will various government officials. If you can attend, please do and if possible bring up concerns about the Pekisko/Sullivan proposal from Petro Canada to the corporate and political representatives that are supposed to be attending this open house.

Full details were posted in the January 7th, 2009 Okotoks paper as well as in various post offices.

Here is the copy from a notice found in a post office:

Public Announcement Turner Valley and Area
Oil and Gas Activity Public Information Open House
Tuesday, January 20th 3:30PM to 7:30PM

Flare ‘N Derrick Community Hall, Turner Valley, Alberta

Representatives of various oil and gas companies, engineering firms, government departments and the Town of Turner Valley will be available to present adn discuss various activities related to the oil and gas industry around the Turner Valley area.

Example:

• Historic Turner Valley Gas Plant -re-abandonment of Royalite (Dingman) #2 well bore owned by Alberta Culture and Community Spirit. Scheduled to begin in January, 2009 and project managed by Lionhead Engineering.
• Application for the renewal of the Approval for the Historic Turner Valley Gas Plant. The Approval is under the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act.
• Update on ConocoPhillips abandonment and reclamation activities.
• Update on Talisman Energy activities.
• Information on the Energy Resources Conservation Board ( ERCB )

Light refreshments available. Everyone welcome.

Attend if you have questions or want to find out what all is going to be discussed at this meeting.

Sophie, a grade seven student, put this video together showing shots of the Pekisko and Kananaskis area along the eastern slopes of Alberta in response to a presentation done by her father, Curtis, to her class. I think it shows off the beauty of the region, and the ugly industrial side to putting pipelines in the area. Unfortunately YouTube has removed the audio from the video, the original included ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ by Joni Mitchell in the background as well as the loud sounds of compressor pumps. If we can get the audio updated, we will try to do so. For now, sadly, silence is the way it has to be. If anyone knows Joni Mitchell, give her a shout and see if she’ll let Sophie’s video run with audio.

Sophie’s Video

“In the long run, will Alberta want to be known for dead ducks on toxic pools or for the pristine mountain air of Kananaskis Country? It is time for Alberta to think in terms of the next hundred years, not just the next energy strike. That is a wrenching cultural change because Alberta is, at heart, a short-term society.”

– Gordon Pitts, from his book Stampede! The Rise of the West and Canada’s New Power Elite, published November 2008