New Brunswick Moratorium on Fracking to Continue Indefinitely
Last updated: 4:45 p.m.
FREDERICTON – The “fracking” moratorium in New Brunswick won’t be ending anytime soon.
As a result of the findings from the Commission on Hydraulic Fracturing, the provincial government announced Friday that it will continue its moratorium on hydraulic fracturing indefinitely.
“We have been clear that we would not allow this activity to go forward unless our five conditions were met,” said Energy and Mines Minister Donald Arseneault in a statement. “Creating jobs is our number one priority, but not at any cost. It is clear that our conditions cannot be satisfied in the foreseeable future.”
In order for hydraulic fracturing to take place in the province, the government said five conditions needed to be met. They include social license; clear and credible information is available about the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on public health, the environment and water; a plan in place to mitigate the impacts on public infrastructure and to address issues such as waste water disposal; a process in place to respect the duty of the provincial government to consult with First Nations; and a mechanism is in place to ensure that benefits are maximized for New Brunswickers.
David Coon, MLA, Fredericton South and leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick said he was pleased with the decision by the government to establish the indefinite moratorium.
“It’s consistent with the conclusions and the findings of the Commission on Hydraulic Fracturing. It’s also consistent with the Green Party’s view that we have to move towards a green economy in the province and develop green energy systems,” Coon said. “There’s lots of work to do in that way that will create jobs right away…”
“Less and less the development of more fossil fuel production makes sense as we move out into the future. The lead time for the development of a green energy system in terms of ramping up the technologies and productions is far shorter and can happen now.”
The decision to extend the moratorium is being slammed in some quarters. Joel Richardson, vice-president of New Brunswick and PEI divisions of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, says the province’s manufacturers and exporters and metal working companies are “very disappointed” with the decision. He said the government has neglected a lot of the recommendations the commission suggested in its report.
“The provincial government chose to ignore all the recommendations of the natural gas commission and all of the work that industry, the commission and citizens did over the last year or more,” he said. “There were many recommendations within the report that showed clearly that the natural gas industry could continue and operate, in fact, could work in a more efficient and environmentally responsible fashion.”
Richardson, who’s also a part of the of the New Brunswick Responsible Energy Development Alliance, said though there are conditions that need to be met, exploration could have continued.
“What we’ve said all the way along is that you can lift the moratorium on natural gas and meet conditions as you move forward. There’s nothing wrong with doing exploration work,” Richardson said. “What we have said is that the province and the government needs to work with industry to first figure out what is the total potential of natural gas in New Brunswick and to move forward with that before we move forward with full outright development of the industry. We need to understand what the potential is in the ground.”
The chambers of commerce for both Moncton, Fredericton and Saint John said in a joint statement that the government’s decision sends the wrong message.
“The New Brunswick government is conveying a message that we are not open for business. With a provincial economy that is struggling to achieve growth, opportunities in creating thousands of jobs and adding millions of dollars to the economy must be realized.” said David Duplisea, CEO of the Saint John Region Chamber.
“This clearly communicates to business and the public that New Brunswick is not willing to evaluate risks, regulate industry and access potential benefits” adds Carol O’Reilly, CEO of the Moncton Chamber.