New Brunswick Groups Urge Government to Lift Fracking Moratorium
FREDERICTON–Lift New Brunswick’s moratorium on “fracking” natural gas. That’s the message a group of business organizations delivered today in Fredericton.
“There is no question in our mind that we need to respect and protect the environment,” said Joel Richardson, vice-president of New Brunswick and PEI divisions of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. “As a business community, we would like to see the ban on hydraulic fracturing lifted so New Brunswick has a chance to explore this potential economic opportunity. Industry and the environment have and can continue to co-exist to bring revenue, jobs and investment to this province.”
Richardson was joined in calling for an end to the moratorium by representatives from the True Growth Natural Gas Working Group, Atlantica Centre for Energy, Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, the New Brunswick Responsible Energy Development Alliance, SPARK and the New Brunswick Petroleum Alliance.
The moratorium on the controversial practice of fracking was put in place by the Liberal government in 2014.
Richardson says that natural gas development can be undertaken safely and environmentally responsibly, backing a report by the New Brunswick Commission on Hydraulic Fracturing. He added that natural gas development through hydraulic fracking has been going on in the province since the early 1990s.
“As employers, entrepreneurs, municipal representatives and residents of this province, we support buying local as much as possible and we support locally produced energy sources in order to maximize our economic and social benefits,” he said.
“We don’t believe that waiting provides any advantage whatsoever. Natural gas development has been going on in New Brunswick for many years successfully and without incident and that can continue to go on while we work towards satisfying the other conditions the province put on with the moratorium.”
The group sees fracking exploration in New Brunswick as key to improving the province’s economy by stimulating investment and creating jobs that will allow residents to stay in the province.