Rosebud Theatre and School of the Arts seeking conversation, information regarding proposed natural gas extraction site

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Rosebud Theatre and School of the Arts is advocating for more conversation to be held regarding plans for oil wells and batteries suggested for development in the vicinity of the hamlet. 

Persist Oil and Gas is planning for multiple wells to be placed in the area, including one within two kilometers of the Hamlet of Rosebud and the Rosebud Studio Stage. 

Among the concerns regarding the potential wells is the production of sour gas – natural gas which contains significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide, which is toxic, and carries a characteristic rotten egg smell. 

Paul Muir, executive director of the Rosebud Theatre and School of the Arts, wrote to Persist Oil and Gas advocating for public consultation in the hamlet, prior to the beginning of their operations. 

“We are pushing for a public meeting where not only Rosebud School of the Arts and local theatre, but also of course, the local residents and everyone will be able to gather together and ask the questions that currently are not answered about their application and proposal for energy exploration,” he said. “They are required to give us notice because of course, we are within two kilometers of where this is proposed … so they are required to give us a certain amount of information, but we certainly do not have all the information.”

Muir wrote a letter to Persist Oil and Gas, which called for a public meeting with information on all planned energy development projects within a 30 km radius of the Hamlet of Rosebud.

Information being requested of the company includes, but is not limited to, how much water will be taken for the site and where it will be taken from; how many wells per pad, how long and how much fracking will take place; how fracking flowback will be handled, traffic and noise mitigation, plans for chemical usage, fume mitigation, and toxic waste management.

“There is a good chance that this well site is going to be producing sour gas, and because we are a cultural tourism destination, and of course there are all the residents that live here as well, the last thing we want is to have any kind of sour gas,” said Muir. “This well site is proposed up on the hill, and sour gas is heavier than air, and so if there is any sour gas coming off that well site, it is going to drift down and it is going to sit down here in the valley.”

Also noted in Muir’s letter, is that many of Rosebud’s residents rely on well water, which draws from local aquifers. These may be disrupted, damaged, and/or contaminated from nearby oil and gas developments.

Persist Oil and Gas was ordered by the Alberta Court of King’s Bench in March to shut down illegal Bitcoin mining operations at a wellsite in Rocky View County. 

The court said Persist was breaching the terms of their lease with Roy Flowers, a Rocky View County property owner.

Natural gas, which was being extracted at the site, was being used to power gas generators, computers, and other equipment designed for the purposes of mining Bitcoin without proper permits in place to do so.

Persist Oil and Gas did not respond to a request for comment by the Strathmore Times prior to the publication of this article.