The Times & Transcript reports this morning that, “Moncton city council will debate limiting ‘fracking’ in city limits when they meet this evening at 5 p.m. for their twice monthly council session. Fracking is a controversial method used by natural gas drillers to release natural gas trapped in rock. Critics of fracking say it uses tremendous amounts of fresh water and releases chemicals into the ground and into groundwater.”
In a CBC radio interview on October 25 we highlighted that, “Sackville recently voted to deny a mining company the rights to conduct seismic testing on town-owned land in the Sackville basin due to concerns about fracking. We would ask Moncton to look to Sackville as an example.”
The Sackville Tribune Post reported this past August that, “A number of Sackville residents and members of town council are concerned the risks may simply be too high to allow an exploration company to search for natural gas resources on a tract of land bordering the town. (In July) councillors voted to deny Petroworth Resources Inc. exploration rights to conduct seismic testing on any town-owned land within the Sackville Basin area. The councillors who voted against the testing cited a lack of policies regulating the onshore gas and oil development industry in the province as the reasoning behind their decision, as well as the potential environmental consequences that could result from the drilling process if gas is found.”
“The regulation and management of oil and natural gas exploration and development in New Brunswick falls primarily under the jurisdiction of the departments of Natural Resources and Environment, with several other departments also playing a role as required. Sam McEwan, acting deputy minister for the Land, Minerals and Petroleum Division of the Department of Natural Resources, argued that there are strict standards and regulations that companies are required to follow in New Brunswick when engaged in exploration, development or production of oil or natural gas resources. But some residents weren’t buying the province’s arguments, continuing to voice concerns over the possible environmental results stemming from a process known as hydraulic fracturing…”
The Council of Canadians has been highlighting that Moncton is selling its drinking water to Apache Canada, a US-owned mining company, for its hydraulic fracturing testing in the Frederick Brook formation in the Elgin area in southern New Brunswick. This past Friday we sent an open letter to the mayor and all members of city council calling on them to stop selling water for fracking and asking for fuller public debate on these issues.
Today’s Times & Transcript article is at http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/1308385.
