New Brunswick should not rush into shale gas

Left unchecked, shale gas mining will contaminate our quality of life in New Brunswick.

Shale gas mining has a devastating track record, including heavy use of chemicals for fracking, toxic wastewater ponds, non-stop truck traffic and heaps of roads and pipelines.

Shale gas mining brings a host of concerns to our province that neither our regulators nor communities have experience dealing with.

We as a province are unprepared to properly manage this industry and safely extract this resource. We must slow down and take a good look at this industry.

Mining companies are pressuring us to rush into this, but New Brunswickers have nothing to gain from rushing headlong into this high-risk industry.

As we navigate these uncertain waters in New Brunswick, Pennsylvania and Texas are grappling with the repercussions of loosely regulated shale gas mining. The state of New York, having seen the impact of shale gas mining within its own borders, has placed a moratorium on shale gas mining so that it can properly evaluate the health and environmental impacts. This spring, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a two-year study on the health and environmental impacts of shale gas mining.

It would be wise for the government of New Brunswick to halt the development of shale gas, watch what’s happening in the United States, consult with the communities involved, and together, make an informed decision. Remember, this is our resource; we can decide how we want to manage it.