New Brunswick’s plans to review the shale gas moratorium have received mixed reactions.
Last week, the provincial government announced it was conducting a five-month review to determine whether its long-standing moratorium on natural gas development still aligns with today’s science, technology and economic realities.
The review was prompted by rising energy needs, economic pressure and global uncertainty, following a failed tariff deal with the U.S.
The announcement was welcomed by some organizations but prompted concern among others.
For the Saint John-based non-profit Atlantica Centre for Energy, whose mandate is to foster sustainable growth related to energy opportunities in Atlantic Canada, the move represented an opportunity for energy independence and economic growth in the province.
“We are very dependent and reliant on the United States to supply our markets with natural gas, so I think it’s a responsible move on behalf of the province to do a fulsome assessment,” said the non-profit’s president Michelle Robichaud.
Robichaud said if the government decides to remove the moratorium, local industry will benefit from the opportunity to produce gas, and the province could also save on energy costs.
She explained that since New Brunswick is at the end of the North American gas system, the gas used in the province is very expensive to get.
She said if there is an opportunity to produce gas locally, it could potentially make it more cost-effective.
Robichaud added that the review could also mean energy security for New Brunswick. She said as energy needs will double in the next 25 years, it’s important to consider all forms of energy available.
“The energy sector in Atlantic Canada is a foundational component to the economy,” she said. “Energy involves natural gas, refined petroleum products and electricity generation, and at the end of the day, we are going to need all those things to support our economy.”
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However, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick believes that if the province is looking for energy security and affordability, investment in renewable energy should be the priority.
Executive Director Beverly Gingras said the future is not in “outdated technology” for which there isn’t a market.
“If we are talking about affordability, they should be actually looking towards the cheapest form of energy for production, which is solar and wind,” she said. “If they were to be as excited about that energy production as they are about the energy production that is causing emissions, then I think we would be in a better place.”
Gingras added that it would take the province a significant amount of time to create a market for gas produced in New Brunswick and pointed to how other continents — such as Europe — are moving away from oil and gas due to market fluctuations.
She also said that producing gas in the province does not guarantee it would make it more affordable.
Gingras said the province wouldn’t have sovereignty over the gas as it would be produced by private companies, who can decide the rate at which to sell it.
“Just because it’s produced here, it doesn’t mean that New Brunswickers are going to have more access to it or that the access is going to be at an affordable level,” she said.
But for Gingras, the most pressing issue with the announcement is that the environmental risks of producing shale gas and fracking have not subsided but only gotten more concerning over the years.
Gingras explained that when the moratorium was placed over 12 years ago, there were concerns about how fracking would impact drinking water, air pollution, waste disposal, Indigenous rights holders, among others.
She said that with the impact of burning fuels being more pronounced now, those same worries have only intensified.
The province’s review will examine five areas, including First Nations’ rights, interests, and priorities, economic benefits, environmental impacts, among others.
The government will also launch stakeholder engagement sessions and a public survey in early fall to gather feedback, identify concerns, and better understand New Brunswickers’ perspectives.
A final decision on the moratorium is expected in January.
