Peace Country families get hearing

After complaining for more than a year, families who've abandoned their homes in the Peace Country will finally get to air some of their issues in front of a panel from the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER).

The families believe emissions from nearby heavy oil tanks are making them sick.

On Monday,a three-person panel from the AERwill begin determining the scope of a public hearing into the controversialbitumen extraction process called Cold Heavy Oil with Sand(CHOPS) .

By this process,heavy oil is pumped up from the ground and stored in heatedtanks, producing emissions which some claim cause health problems for people living nearby.

There is no scientific evidence linking fumes from the tanks to any of the symptoms experienced by the residents in the area, however.

A spokesman for the AER saidit's up to the panel to decide how broad in scope the hearing will be.

"They've significantly reduced venting in the area yet we're still getting complaints,"said Bob Curran, with the AER.

"At this point the only option that's left for us, as a regulator, is to initiate this type of proceeding then get all the parties to the table and see what comes out of that."

So far, eight families from Three Creeks and the Reno Field area have moved away from their homes, claiming adverse health effects from the tanks.

The panel will also consider options for funding interveners at the public hearing.Curran said there is currently no set formula to fund any interested party or group if they want to present evidence.

The public hearing is expected to be held later this year in Peace River.