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Ban fracking now

Northern Cross is drilling for oil and gas in the Eagle Plains area and has applied for a licence to the Yukon Environmental Socio-Economic Assessment Board that possibly includes fracking.

Northern Cross is drilling for oil and gas in the Eagle Plains area and has applied for a licence to the Yukon Environmental Socio-Economic Assessment Board that possibly includes fracking.

Fracking is a drilling technique that injects tens of millions of litres of fresh water deep underground. The water is mixed with sand and secret toxic chemicals. Explosives first break up the rock formations.

Each well is fracked anywhere from eight to 18 times in order to release the gas or oil.

The mixture of water, sand and chemicals pollutes surface water, land and wildlife. Fracking has also been known to cause minor earthquakes. And fracking releases potent greenhouse gases, like poisonous methane.

At this point in time, oil and gas companies have no way of cleaning up the fracking fluid except by leaving it underground or hauling it away and storing it deep in underground caves or leaving it on the surface.

Yukoners Concerned about Oil and Gas Development and Exploration want YESAB to delay Northern Cross’ application and

to ban fracking in the Yukon until all Yukoners have the opportunity to discuss the consequences of this practice.

It is a known fact that once oil and gas companies are allowed to frack, or as they sometimes say, “stimulate drilling,” this sets a precedent to frack in other areas of the Yukon, like the Whitehorse Trough.

We are asking Yukoners to, before the Sept. 7 deadline,

email, fax or phone the Dawson City YESAB office and ask them to extend the Northern Cross application and to ban fracking in the Yukon until all Yukoners have a discussion about the consequences of this practice.

The deadline for the public to respond to Northern Cross’ application is Sept. 7.

Yukoners must protect our water and environment for future generations, and we must act now.

Don Roberts

Chair, Yukoners Concerned about Oil and Gas Development and Exploration