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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
The more people know about fracking, the more confidently they can make decisions about it.

Horizontal wells are already used in Northern British Columbia's Horn River area, just south of the province's border with the NWT. - photo courtesy of Encana Corp.

This simple fact is the biggest reason why ConocoPhillips Canada may be fracking next year and MGM Energy won't be.

When MGM first submitted its application to horizontally frack up to two exploratory wells last August, people were worried.

The practice had never been done in the NWT before and, more importantly, it had never been publicly considered before.

Vertical fracking has been happening in the NWT for years, but the amount of negative press horizontal fracking has generated in the South overshadowed its potential familiarity.

MGM ran the uphill battle of proving what they were proposing was safe but their communications plan did little to quell community's fears.

These fears, namely those voiced by regional land corporations, were why the Sahtu Land and Water Board referred MGM to an environmental review, according to the board.

By the time ConocoPhillips decided to submit its application, there was lively conversation about the implications of the board's decision about MGM's application.

Industry announced that it wasn't interested in pursuing what it considered an unreasonably costly and lengthy environmental assessment process for exploratory work.

Chambers of commerce worried the decision would scare away industry.

On the Sahtu Land and Water Board public registry, more than three quarters of the non-governmental commenters were in support of the ConocoPhillips application and almost all of them cited a regional need for jobs as the primary reason.

ConocoPhillips also had an effective communications plan.

A representative team met face to face with the Fort Good Hope Renewable Resource Council four days after the council requested Conoco's application be sent to an environmental assessment. The same day of the meeting, the council retracted its request and provided support for the project.

But trust in industry will only go so far.

ConocoPhillips' hydraulic fracturing of two exploratory wells is one way to get solid, non-speculative facts about how the practice will affect NWT land, wildlife, and people.

Particularly since a condition of approval from the Sahtu Land and Water Board is that ConocoPhillips must submit a list at of all chemicals used in fracking, along with risk assessments, before fracking operations start.

But when it comes down to the wire, it's the government that is accountable to the people - not industry and not regulatory boards.

That's why its so important for the GNWT to release best practice guidelines, as it plans to do this fall, and conduct baseline research on the Sahtu's flora, fauna and water quality before fracking starts, as it has also said it plans to do.

With the GNWT stationed to take over responsibility for environmental clean-up and protection once devolution is completed, measures like these are invaluable.

The only thing to do now is keep a close on eye on how ConocoPhillips' exploratory fracking plays out for the people and the environment of the NWT, so other smart decisions can be made when other applications for horizontal fracking inevitably come forward.

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