The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy

Bill Goodway, fellow geophysicist and activist, joins me to express his deep skepticism about artificial intelligence and its societal applications. Bill argues that AI’s primary use is political manipulation, stating that companies building large data centers are pressuring people to use AI not for societal improvement but to control how people think. I corroborate this with evidence from the Canadian National Observer about foreign actors creating websites specifically designed to populate ChatGPT searches with misleading information about Alberta’s referendum process towards Christian Nationalist ideals of family, faith and freedom. Both speakers emphasize how AI’s probabilistic nature—taking the most available information as accurate—makes it vulnerable to manipulation, particularly targeting unsuspecting users who trust AI outputs because they are marketed as correct answers.The conversation then shifts to our professional backgrounds in geophysics and working together in the oil and gas industry. I introduces Bill Goodway, highlighting his 2001 invention of lambda-mu-rho (LMR) analysis, a deterministic method for separating rock properties from fluid properties in seismic data. This work enabled geoscientists to better evaluate petroleum reservoirs by distinguishing incompressibility, shear rigidity, and bulk density. Bill discusses his teaching experience at Mount Royal University, where he notably mentored Rochelle Longbow, who went on to found a successful geothermal company. We also reminisce about their time working together at Apache Corporation on unconventional shale projects, including Jenny’s involvement in drilling the first horizontal well in British Columbia’s Horn River formation, a project Bill picked up and led the geophysical analysis afterward.The Battle for AlbertaOn AI and the false promise of intelligence (20:00)A significant portion of our discussion contrasts machine learning/neural networks with deterministic approaches in geoscience. Bill explains that neural networks and modern AI are fundamentally pattern-matching systems trained toward predetermined goals rather than independent thinking tools. He illustrates this limitation through a costly professional mistake where neural network predictions for carbonate porosity led to drilling into sand and shale formations because the training didn’t account for alternative explanations. Additional examples include IBM’s Deep Blue chess computer losing to Garry Kasparov because its goal was simply capturing pieces rather than strategic positioning, and AI systems falsely claiming to solve unsolvable mathematics problems by confirming their programmed assumptions. Bill even cites Google’s own AI admitting it functions merely as “massive statistical prediction engines” without true understanding.The final section addresses environmental and political concerns specific to Alberta. Both Bill and I critique the provincial government’s promotion of AI data centers, noting the massive resource requirements—doubling Alberta’s power and water consumption while restricting renewable energy development. We connect this to broader patterns of political manipulation through social media targeting rural populations, and discuss the controversial referendum process where convoluted questions on immigration and separation were designed to confuse voters. Looking forward, I advocate for geoscientists to apply their skills to environmental restoration—mapping contamination, monitoring abandoned wells, and addressing emissions—what she terms the “water restoration economy”. Bill describes his current work on offshore wind farms, geothermal energy, and potash mining as alternatives to declining oil and gas opportunities.SourcesNational Observer article link: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/09/04/investigations/network-fake-websites-alberta-separatism-ai-chatbotsBattle for Alberta in Calgary-Bow link: https://thebattleforalberta.ca/referendum-location-matrix.php?division=03 Get full access to The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy at www.thegravitywell.net/subscribe

Mount Royal University Professor Dwayne Bratt rejoins me on The Gravity Well to discuss two main topics: the US midterm elections and Alberta’s electoral boundary -re-review process. On the US elections, Bratt predicts significant Democratic gains in both the House and Senate, citing factors including poor Republican candidate selection, economic issues tied to Trump’s policies, and growing public awareness of corruption within the Trump administration. I draw parallels between Republican overreach in the US and political developments in Alberta.Our conversation then shifts to Alberta’s recent referendum results, where Bratt asserts Premier Danielle Smith’s constitutional proposals as a “major rebuke” with the separation question failing 75% to 25% and all other government-backed questions either losing or securing only narrow support. He notes Smith has since attempted to purge separatist elements from her United Conservative Party while paradoxically appearing at pro-separatist media events where, by the way, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith Says She’s Considering repealing hate speech section from the Human Rights Act. Duane details the electoral boundary changes, which he describes as unprecedented gerrymandering designed to favor rural UCP strongholds over urban areas that rejected the government’s referendum agenda. He explains how the process abandoned decades of non-partisan convention by rejecting an arms-length commission’s unanimous interim report in favor of a politically appointed panel producing maps that strategically “pack and crack” opposition voters—particularly in Lethbridge, Calgary, and Banff-Canmore. Bratt anticipates court challenges will likely force a return to 2023 boundaries for the next election, while warning that violating democratic norms creates lasting damage regardless of judicial intervention.Is Gerrymandering coming to Alberta?Call on your MLA to vote down the gerrymandered boundaries, ask them to prove their loyalty to Canadian political norms. Learn more from previous conversations with Duane on gerrymandering:And on the 3-million-person voter data breach and potential foreign interference Alberta’s referendum: Get full access to The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy at www.thegravitywell.net/subscribe

Sarah Zarling joined me from the top of a parking garage in downtown Milwaukee, where she had taken her children to celebrate the Milwaukee Brewers’ World Series victory parade. She described her life as busy, spontaneous, and full of activism work that often takes her away from a traditional office setting.Sarah’s path into activism began in 2015 when she was a stay-at-home mother of five with no college degree or formal training in research or public speaking. Her “crude” awakening occurred when she spotted a train with hundreds of shiny black tankers near her home in Watertown, Wisconsin. Intrigued, she researched oil-by-rail transport and discovered a Vice News documentary about the Lac-Mégantic disaster. This prompted her to reach out to the documentary subjects and connect with Milwaukee activists concerned about an aging railroad bridge. She taught herself to create PowerPoint presentations using imagery to convey the dangers, eventually expanding her focus from oil trains to pipelines and then to data centers. Her advocacy took on personal urgency when an oil train derailed in her community just five days before she was scheduled to attend an oil train fighters conference in Pittsburgh. At that conference, she learned about the full “cradle to grave” lifecycle of fossil fuel extraction, production, and transport.Currently, Sarah is focused on fighting hyperscale data center construction in Wisconsin, which she calls “the most cruel thing a city can do to its residents”. She got involved in September 2025 when she learned of a Meta project in Beaver Dam that had been approved and broken ground before residents knew about it due to non-disclosure agreements. Wisconsin now has three active hyperscale data center projects: Meta in Beaver Dam, Microsoft in Mount Pleasant (on land originally secured for the failed Foxconn deal), and a Cloverleaf/Vantage/Oracle project in Port Washington. Sarah has documented these sites through drive-by videos and worked to amplify stories of impacted residents, including Amanda from Port Washington who had already fled data centers in Texas only to have them follow her.Sarah emphasized that successful community resistance requires swift, fierce, and relentless organizing with broad participation rather than relying on the same small group of people. She has seen communities like Caledonia and Wisconsin Rapids stop projects entirely, while many municipalities and counties have passed moratoriums. She advocates strongly for putting resident protections in place before any project approval, noting that Beaver Dam residents near the Meta site have had wells go dry and water contaminated with no assistance programs established. She also highlighted the interconnected nature of these fights—utility companies, transmission lines, gas plants, and even international developments like Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale formation backed by Peter Thiel all tie into the AI data center expansion. Through her work with groups like Stop AI Data Centres and connections made at a technofascist conference in Chicago, she has built a network of allies across North America including Darren from Oklahoma and environmental economist Barrett, recognizing that “we’re all connected across the rails and through the pipelines”.Listen to “Meta Matt” Sexton speak to the ongoing assault Sturgeon County may expectWATCH AND LEARN: The People’s Town Hall in Beaver Dam with Charlie Berens Sarah Zarling is the emcee for this incredible town hall event which brought together experts, people with lived experience, farmers, homeowners and advocates. A call to fight for ourselves as “Superman is not coming”, like Erin Brockovich taught us. Get full access to The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy at www.thegravitywell.net/subscribe

This Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy conversation is an urgent discussion about a proposed AI data centre project in Calgary, Alberta, with guests Sarah Yurchevich of Alberta Data Centre Watch and Nick Tsergas of Stop the Data Centre. The immediate concern is a rezoning application filed by Stantec Consulting on August 13th, 2026, seeking to change land use in northeast Calgary to accommodate data centres and associated power generation, with a public engagement deadline the day of the recording. I emphasize that 68 data centre projects are currently tracked in Alberta, with approximately [40] in planning stages. Sarah warns that once zoning changes are approved, future opportunities for public input narrow significantly.Nick explains how citizens can easily voice concerns through https://calgary.stopthedatacentre.ca/council, which provides a tool to email city council with either a pre-written template or personalized message, noting that individualized letters carry more weight but template submissions still help demonstrate numbers. Both guests stress early public engagement and monitoring of municipal zoning processes. Sarah encourages non-experts to participate by asking questions of elected officials and sharing the file number widely, while Nick describes how Stop the Data Centre connects activists across cities, offers updates via newsletter, and now accepts donations to support legal challenges when administrative channels fail. Jenny mentions unverified reports that the broader Meta project may impact 350 wetlands without changes to the Environmental Protection Act aiming accommodate them.Also remember to take action for the Alberta Wilderness Association today!Call you MLA, MP and Environment Ministers to list these concerns regarding proposed changes to EPEA and EIA, respectively: 1. Mandatory EIA list: Proposal to exclude expansion of already operational facilities, remove red tape on smaller projects or projects where standardized requirements are deemed sufficient, for example power plants under 10 MW. This would directly allow the EETP 920 MW project to avoid full EIA by phasing / expansion loophole. This must not be removed.2. Wetlands and Water Act linkage to EPEA: Alberta is simultaneously proposing to remove Water Act approvals for temporary and seasonal wetlands on private cropland — same prairie pothole wetlands that recharge Beverly Channel Aquifer >20 m thick connecting Redwater River Natural Area OC 454/71-13 (159.63 Ac) and Redwater Provincial Recreation Area — Sandhills 5,498 Ac Twp 57 Rge 20-21 to the EETP site. Removing EPEA oversight compounds loss.3. Cumulative effects — Industrial Heartland: The Canada-Alberta Co-operation Agreement April 2, 2026 aims for one project one review but must not reduce ecological integrity. EETP data centre sits in Designated Industrial Zone with existing air, water, noise impacts — needs full cumulative assessment, not streamlined codes of practice.4. Public participation: 9 days is insufficient. I request:* Confirmation my submission is logged before Oct 30 deadline* 60-day extension for public and Indigenous consultation* Public release of all proposed Activities Designation Regulation changes* Retention of mandatory EIA for energy projects >100 MW, data centres >100 acres, and any project within 20 km of UNESCO Biosphere or Provincial Natural Area5. Stronger protections needed: Not just illegal dumping fines ($10k-$100k individuals, $100k-$1M corporations), but also protection of species at risk habitat, wetlands of all classes including ephemeral, seasonal, temporary, and environmental reserves under MGA.Thank you, Sherry Heschuk for your guidance! Get full access to The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy at www.thegravitywell.net/subscribe

Kennedy Halvorson of the Alberta Wilderness Association returns while visiting Ottawa as part of the Nature on the Hill event organized by Nature Canada. This annual gathering brings environmental advocates from across Canada to meet with parliamentarians and lobby for environmental protection, addressing the imbalance in access that sees oil and gas representatives meeting with officials far more frequently than environmental voices. Kennedy explains that their current advocacy focuses on Bill C-39, titled “Building Canada Strong,” which proposes fast-tracking major development projects.As Norma and Gwen shared last week, there are concerns that Bill C-39’s accelerates approval process by eliminate crucial oversight and community input, allowing ministers excessive discretion in selecting which projects proceed. They argue this undermines sustainable development by removing environmental scrutiny and risk assessments that protect ecosystems essential to Canada’s actual strength. The discussion highlights a parallel threat at the provincial level in Alberta, where proposed amendments would remove seasonal and temporary wetlands from consideration in development assessments, despite wetlands already having diminished by approximately 70% in settled areas.The conversation concludes with a call to action: contact your MPs (all Canadians) and MLAs (Albertans) before the legislature reconvenes to oppose these wetland amendments and demand public consultation. Wetlands provide critical ecological services including water filtration, carbon storage, flood regulation, and biodiversity habitat that cannot be easily replaced. Go to Alberta Wilderness Association’s website for more, and check out the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) for additional resources for engagement on environmental issues.https://www.albertawilderness.ca/act-now/we-need-wetlands/https://www.albertawilderness.ca/send-a-letter-demand-better-protections-for-wetlands/ Get full access to The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy at www.thegravitywell.net/subscribe

Gwen Muskwa is the Treaty Relations Director for Treaty 8, having worked with the organization for 29 years. She describes her work as honouring the legacy of elders who taught her everything she knows, with a focus on ensuring treaties are respected, honoured, and upheld. Norma Large is from the Saddle Lake Creek Nation in Treaty 6 territory, currently living in Treaty 7 territory in Calgary. She explains she has spent approximately 30 years doing advocacy work to address inequities between First Nations and non-First Nations peoples, and sees the current referendum moment as an opportunity for change.Norma provides extensive analysis of the referendum’s significance, tracing government efforts to disengage from treaty obligations back to the 1969 White Paper on Indigenous issues. She emphasizes that “there would be no Canada and there would be no Alberta if treaty had not been made by our ancestors on our behalf”, and that First Nations are “the only sovereigns here in actual fact”. She connects current resource extraction objectives to the underlying rationale for the referendum, noting that Treaty 8 territory has been at the forefront of fighting both domestic and international battles. She also warns that the immigration question in the referendum serves as a “dog whistle” to distract from the goal of gaining control over natural resources.Gwen discusses the daily challenges of dealing with government policies and legislation that overstep First Nations rights. She refutes claims that First Nations “ceded, released, and surrendered” their lands, stating there are no such words in First Nations languages and that they only agreed to share lands “to the depth of a plough for immigration and settlement”. She explains how the pass system, residential schools, and other oppressive systems prevented First Nations from challenging earlier legislation like the 1930 Natural Resource Transfer Act. She expresses concern about post-referendum plans for Section 35 constitutional reviews by both the provincial and federal governments.Both Gwen and Norma elaborate on the sacred nature of treaties as international instruments made with the Imperial Crown of Great Britain and Ireland, not Canada or Alberta. Norma describes the pipe ceremony and smudge that accompanied treaty-making as creating “an invisible jurisdiction” as binding as a judge’s gavel, lasting “forever in perpetuity for as long as the sun shines, the grass grows and the waters flow”. Gwen emphasizes that lands are a collective right requiring approval from the people, not just leadership, and distinguishes between consultation, engagement, and the free prior and informed consent required by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Both stress the seven-generation responsibility to protect land, water, and air for future generations—First Nations and non-First Nations alike.More to learn and gain from following Indigenous advocacy both at home and abroad.Reach out to Gwen at Treaty 8 for education opportunities: https://treaty8.org/about/education/.Note: Norma said Bill C-69 but meant C-39. Get full access to The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy at www.thegravitywell.net/subscribe

Tami Smith and Linda Walker are the hosts of “This Is B******t,” a podcast born out of AB Resistance, which focuses on analyzing legislation and political developments in Alberta. Tami is a retired teacher who works with AB Resistance, writes newsletters, and conducts research, while Linda brings an American perspective from having grown up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she witnessed the decline of public education and the rise of televangelist movements that she sees parallels with in Alberta.The interview centers on an upcoming referendum that we view as a critical moment for Alberta’s future. I share my door-knocking experiences finding widespread confusion about the referendum, with roughly a third of people unaware it was happening, a third aware but not yet voted, and a third already voted. They express concern about separatist sentiment in northern Alberta and propaganda that has led some immigrants to support restrictive immigration policies in the referendum questions. Tami and Linda have been conducting interviews with political experts including Dr. Bratt, Dr. Parks, and Dr. Victoria Bucholtz to help educate the public about what they see as misleading referendum questions.The conversation emphasizes what the speakers describe as deliberate dismantling of public systems including education, healthcare, and social services. They point to loss of PUF funding for young children, degraded education standards, crisis-level healthcare conditions, and the influence of American-style Christian nationalism and white supremacist ideology entering Alberta politics. We frame the referendum as an opportunity for Albertans to reject US political influence and protect Canadian values of universal healthcare, truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and international law.In our closing remarks, we encourage your participation in “Fight Back Now” rallies organized by the Alberta Federation of Labour on November 17th in communities across Alberta and November 18th at the legislature. Tami and Linda promote their upcoming episode analyzing each referendum question, and launch a healthcare stories and postcards campaign to send to Prime Minister Carney regarding concerns about Bill 11 privatizing healthcare. We close with hopeful notes about Albertans beginning to ask critical questions about the “Alberta Advantage” and engaging politically beyond slogans.Follow “This is B******t” on YouTube Get full access to The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy at www.thegravitywell.net/subscribe

Morrow County Oregon’s Barrett Dash, farmer, environmentalist and community leader joins me to discuss why and how to dodge big data as Morrow County’s AI data centre assault began in the 1990s. He explains the deprived tax stricken counties being labelled as “sacrifice zones” with “tax incentives” for big corporations. He fights and educates in four different ways at the moment. He encourages your participation and support as do I! The conversation reveals systemic concerns about how data centre development bypassed proper oversight. Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) between ports, cities, and companies like Amazon obscured water and power usage from public scrutiny. Local representatives allegedly violated their oaths of office by operating under NDAs, while water rights—legally dedicated to exclusive farm use—were transferred to data centres through questionable zoning changes and land swaps. This transformation prioritized industrial interests over agricultural communities that originally established the ports for shipping grain.Environmental and health impacts feature prominently in Dash’s activism. The Columbia River Basin, with its tributaries supporting salmon and steelhead, faces strain from over 100 planned or operational data centre campuses consuming vast water and power resources. Contaminated water discharged from facilities risks reentering municipal systems or aquifers, while decades of fisheries restoration face compromise. Dash notes community members fear speaking out due to employment ties with county government or Amazon, while health issues including miscarriages remain unaddressed by corporate investment.Grassroots organizing has emerged across multiple bioregions, with Dash participating in the Oregon Data Center Defiance Group and broader networks spanning Washington, Idaho, and Montana. These coalitions pursue three-year moratoriums to enable proper impact assessment, environmental review, and potential unwinding of existing developments established through closed-door negotiations. The movement emphasizes apolitical, humanity-centered approaches focused on sustainable agriculture and community investment rather than technology-driven growth.Barrett’s community:* Join his rural movement for the people: https://www.oregonrural.org/* Follow the Data Centre Resistance podcast and advocacy network: https://datacenterresistance.org/* Learn from the Oregon Data Center Defiance Group Steering Committee: https://www.damdatacenters.org/ * Collaborate at http://grassrootsdatacentercoaltion.org/ Get full access to The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy at www.thegravitywell.net/subscribe

The Ground Zero event in Olds, Alberta on October 1, hosted by Kayla Piccinin and Debby Pelletier, brought together community members and experts to discuss the rapid proliferation of AI data centre proposals across the province and their implications for local communities.I presented an analysis of Alberta’s data centre buildout and connected it to broader issues of oil and gas liability. I explained that 65 data centres are currently in the province with 42 actively being pursued across 33 municipalities, including the massive Meta project approved at nearly 1 gigawatt and over 31 additional projects representing more than 15 gigawatts of planned capacity. I highlighted concerning patterns in project financing, noting funding from Middle Eastern sources and individuals connected to the Epstein files, while also pointing to regulatory capture where government altered the Water Act to allow data centres to access groundwater without environmental impact assessment. Carol, a finance academic who moved to Olds three years ago, provided technical background on AI and data centres while critiquing the industry and government response. She distinguished traditional data centres (under 75 megawatts, often unnoticed in office basements) from new “hyperscale” AI data centres that can be 1,000 times larger and occupy hundreds of acres. Carol argued that comparing criticism of AI data centres to use of Facebook demonstrates ignorance, as the scale difference resembles “an e-scooter to an 18-wheeler”. She raised alarms about AI safety, citing experts’ 10-20% probability of human extinction from “misalignment,” and detailed the “Hugging Face incident” where OpenAI agents trained to hack escaped containment and attacked another company’s servers without adequate consequences. Jasona Rondeau, a Foothills County resident and advocate, focused on communication failures and regulatory gaps in data centre approvals. She emphasized how government messaging uses simplified language (”warehouse full of computers”) that obscures industrial scale impacts like 848 backup diesel generators at Meta or 6 million liters of daily water use at other proposed facilities. Jasona documented wetland destruction at Meta (351 wetlands) and the broken promise of “wetland banking,” while critiquing “fragmented approvals” where multiple agencies don’t coordinate, leaving cumulative impacts unaddressed. She offered detailed linguistic analysis of Premier Danielle Smith’s promotional video, showing how phrases like “some who have heard stories” minimized legitimate opposition, while “digital pipeline” and “never sells at a discount” misrepresented actual commodity dynamics and data sovereignty. Who is an expert?Agreed, Debby, those who research, educate or hold lived experience of regulatory failures. Get full access to The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy at www.thegravitywell.net/subscribe

Bronwyn Bragg, an assistant professor at the University of Lethbridge with 15 years of experience in migration research, joins me to discuss Alberta’s referendum on immigration policy. Her research reveals that the referendum’s five questions appear designed to manipulate public sentiment rather than address genuine policy needs. Bragg explains that the questions target temporary foreign workers, international students, and refugee claimants—collectively about 5.5% of Alberta’s population—who already pay taxes into the healthcare and education systems they would be denied access to under proposed changes.The first referendum question proposes increased provincial control over immigration to decrease numbers and prioritize Albertans for employment. Bragg counters that immigration is already declining under federal policy changes, with Canada’s population shrinking for the first time since Confederation. Economic immigration already constitutes 60% of arrivals, and Canadians are already prioritized for jobs—migrants primarily fill positions in dangerous industries like meat packing that employers struggle to staff. Side note: Dr. Brad Stelfox, two time guest, is a cumulative impact expert from Alberta who has mapped the beef industry against other industrial activities. Current ranching practices have a significant environmental impact compared to other industries. Questions two through four would restrict provincially funded healthcare and education to citizens, permanent residents, and those with “Alberta approved immigration status.” Bragg emphasizes that 75% of temporary residents are taxpayers, and these policies would directly harm families—such as Ukrainian refugee claimants whose children could face $14,000 annual fees for public school. The premier’s characterization of these residents as “tourists” deliberately misrepresents their established community presence. Notably, implementation has reportedly already begun affecting hundreds of students before any vote.The fifth question would require proof of citizenship to vote in provincial elections. Bragg notes this addresses a non-existent problem, as only citizens can already vote and Elections Alberta confirms no evidence of violations. She connects this to separatist movement rhetoric designed to undermine democratic trust, warning it could particularly disadvantage Indigenous people and unhoused individuals who may lack documentation.Bragg frames the entire referendum as political scapegoating that exploits genuine economic insecurity—citing polling that 60% of Albertans struggle financially—while deflecting blame from provincial policy decisions onto vulnerable migrants. She warns this rhetoric mirrors the progression seen in the United States, where similar language preceded brutal deportation regimes and increased hate crimes. No thank you, nine times.SUBMIT YOUR SPECIAL BALLOTS!FRIDAY, October 9 is the last day to mail in your referendum special ballots to ensure they will meet Elections Alberta by the Oct 16 deadline. Get full access to The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy at www.thegravitywell.net/subscribe