Statement from Environmental Defense Fund on Weyburn Oilfield in Eastern Saskatchewan

NEWS RELEASE

Contacts:
Media:
Mica Odom, 512.619.8453, modom@edf.org

Expert:
Scott Anderson, 512.699.1077, sanderson@edf.org

(Austin, Texas – January 12, 2011) The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is concerned about the situation in the Weyburn oilfield in eastern Saskatchewan. We are concerned first and foremost about any harm suffered by the Kerr family and believe that a thorough investigation is warranted. EDF is also concerned about what leakage of even a small amount of CO₂ could mean for the Weyburn Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS) project. To date, Weyburn has been a success story known all over the world for demonstrating that, under proper conditions, geologic sequestration of CO₂ can be an effective tool in the fight to avoid catastrophic climate change. At this point EDF has no reason to believe that Weyburn’s reputation will be affected, but clearly this incident is an important reminder that geologic sequestration is only appropriate for sites that are carefully selected, rigorously monitored, and operated in a way that minimizes risks.