Both sides in fracking debate say the evidence remains clear, 12 years later
The evidence on either side of the fracking debate remains clear for both opponents and proponents 12 years after the provincial government imposed its moratorium on shale gas development.
It has been 12 years since former Liberal premier Brian Gallant imposed a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in New Brunswick.
And, according to current Premier Susan Holt, during that time more information has come to light about fracking — enough to justify a formal review of the moratorium.
But for proponents and opponents of fracking development in the province, the biggest change in the past 12 years has been a further accumulation of evidence to support their original positions on the issue.
"The big difference is we know so much more,” said Phyllis Sutherland, a retired teacher and campground operator in Hillsborough, near one of the province’s major reserves of natural gas.
The Holt government will wrap up a review of New Brunswick’s fracking moratorium in January.
Sutherland said everything she has learned in the past decade supports her original conclusion that fracking is "very bad for your health and for the environment."
For economic development consultant David Campbell, the growth of the fracking industry in British Columbia in the past decade has bolstered his view that the risks involved in hydraulic fracturing are measured and may be worth the payoff in taxes and royalties.
New Brunswickers “need to know that this is being done elsewhere in Canada,” said Campbell, “and it's being done and creating great benefits.”
Campbell also points to increased public interest in energy self-sufficiency in the midst of the U.S. trade war.
New Brunswick uses large amounts of natural gas to heat homes, run industries and produce electricity, said Campbell, but it all comes from outside the province.
“We're content to bring that in and have all the environmental risks happen in Pennsylvania and Ohio and Alberta,” said Campbell, “which is a bit hypocritical in my opinion.”
Campbell would like to see the provincial government do its own exploration of the shale gas resources in the province, to determine if the economic case for fracking holds.
And where it is commercially feasible, the debate should be “localized” to the communities that are “going to be bearing the potential risk of any development,” said Campbell.
‘The route that was paved with gold’
Most of New Brunswick’s estimated shale gas reserves are concentrated in two regions, dubbed by the province as the McCully/Elgin resource area and the Stoney Creek/Hillsborough resource area.
Route 114 follows the Petitcodiac River southward from the Moncton region through Hillsborough and down all the way to Fundy National Park, making it a prominent tourism route. Janet Clouston said it was once dubbed “the route that was paved with gold,” thanks to all the wealth generated from the natural resources in the area.
Clouston manages the Albert County Museum, a place that documents, among other things, how the region became “the birthplace of oil and gas, really on planet Earth.”
In nearby Albert Mines, back in the 1800s, geologist Abraham Gesner noticed that the "coal" found there was unusual. After some experimentation, Gesner produced the world’s first kerosene from what was eventually called albertite.
The area also had natural methane gas deposits, which not only helped light homes in Hillsborough, but was piped into Moncton throughout much of the 1900s.
“There are still reserves here,” said Clouston, “whether they're ever tapped into or not is another matter.”
Clouston said she’s neutral on the debate pitting economic benefits against environmental and health risks.
For much of Albert County’s fossil fuel history, said Clouston, the debate was much simpler.
“In the past, when they found resources, they would just go after it,” she said.
But whether local residents decide to “go after” their shale gas deposits remains to be seen.
‘Friendly by Nature’
Derek Lackey was recently elected to Fundy Albert municipal council, and he heads up the economic development committee for the sprawling new municipality that stretches from Riverview to Alma.
He thinks that while shale gas development might be good “from an economic point of view,” residents would most likely reject it.
“Friendly by Nature” is not just Fundy Albert’s slogan, said Lackey.
“It’s how this community sees themselves.”
Lackey said water capacity of the area is also a big concern, especially for the municipality. Alma recently had a major water system upgrade, but both Hillsborough and Riverside Albert have issues, he said.
Despite the cons, though, Lackey said he would like to see what’s actually proposed for the area, instead of having it ruled out by a moratorium.
“I understand that the dollars involved are significant,” said Lackey, “so you have to look at it, but you also have to do it properly.”
“We want to grow. We're open for business. But by the same token, does it fit with who we are, or does it fundamentally change who we are?”
Health-care costs
Barb Gebuhr said she continues to see evidence that fracking comes with health-related costs.
The retired principal actively opposed fracking before the moratorium and remains opposed today.
"I don't know that the amount of money that you would get from fracking for our province could possibly be offset by what it will cost in the health-care system," said Gebuhr.
She said she expects in the coming months that groups like the local group Water and Environmental Protection of Albert County will re-mobilize.
“I expect we'll be doing education and going to government and saying this can't happen again,” said Gebuhr.
A decade after a previous Liberal government chose to keep a moratorium in place, it’s not what she expected to be doing.
Neither did Phyllis Sutherland.
“We thought we were safe, and now it's come around again,” said Sutherland.
“And we're all saying, "Oh my God, we’ve got to do this all again.”
