The Rural Blog: New fracking film starring Matt Damon set for release..

The Rural Blog: New fracking film starring Matt Damon set for rele...: A new film about hydraulic fracturing will hit theaters this December, but this time it's a feature film, not a documentary. "Promised Land"stars Matt Damon as Steve Butler, a gas company representative who comes to a rural, economically depressed town offering financial salvation in exchange for natural gas drilling leases. The film is being directed by Oscar-nominated director Gus Van Sant, who directed Damon in "Good Will Hunting."..

GASLAND a documentary about natural gas hydraulic fracturing

Watched this last night - the method of hydraulic fracturing is used to extract natural gas, but the chemicals used also contaminate the groundwater, and the natural gas enters the water as well.  The film is based on what is happening in the US, but what are the implications in Canada?  I have a bright red set of Halliburton coveralls from my first husband who worked for a lot of these companies in the US as a nitrogen operator.  He pumped nitrogen down oil and gas wells before they were capped off - I don't remember hearing anything about the fracturing process or if that was part of his work.  I love the coveralls for working on the farm in the winter, but now I am debating taking the "Halliburton" label off!!

Hydraulic fracturing is used in the Peace River area of BC - probably using the same methods - note that a byproduct is sand http://www.laprairiegroup.com/companies/canadian-silica-industries/
Note that on the BC Ministry of Agriculture website (see bottom left corner) there is a farmer advocacy office - that originally got me excited until I found out it was linked to a company set up to get farmers to sign up with the oil and gas companies!!!

http://www.gov.bc.ca/agri/