Local mining sector executives might want to take notice of a controversial documentary film about natural gas extraction that won two awards at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and makes its Vancouver premiere Thursday.
Gasland won a special jury prize and was named best U.S. documentary at Sundance in January.
It traces filmmaker Josh Fox’s journey through 32 states interviewing families who signed leases with the natural gas industry and now regret it.
Fox claims that shale gas extraction, or fracking, contaminates underground water wells, aquifers, livestock and people. He claims it even creates tap water that is so contaminated it can be set on fire.
B.C. is home to some of the largest fracking operations in the world.
At least one local energy executive does not think fracking is toxic.
“Dissolved methanes are very common in rural tap water,” Powerex manager of business development Brian Moghadam told Business in Vancouver July 20.
“Setting tap water on fire is something that a lot of people in the countryside can do if they’re not part of a municipal water system. They can do that trick.”
He pointed to a website that industry boosters Energy In Depth http://www.energyindepth.org/2010/06/debunking-gasland established to refute claims in the film.
Moghadam said: “There’s almost a line by line debunking of everything the filmmaker says in the movie.”