PROVINCIAL Government shrugs off shale gas opposition groups CHRIS MORRISLEGISLATURE BUREAU March 23, 2014 Energy Minister Craig Leonard says he is confident New Brunswickers will be able to see through what he calls the “misinformation Photo: Shawn Berry/Legislature Bureau / File FREDERICTON – New Brunswick’s energy minister says he is not concerned about a coalition of groups that is planning a province-wide tour to oppose shale gas development in the province. Craig Leonard said the Tory government already knows what The Voice of the People Tour will tell residents and he is confident New Brunswickers will be able to see through what he calls the “misinformation.” “We know what they will say -- it’s a lot of misinformation, it’s a lot of studies taken out of context and it’s a lot of studies that have been discredited,” Leonard said in an interview. “The reality is that New Brunswickers have heard enough and learned enough about the industry that they are getting more and more comfortable with it. They understand it is a safe and responsible industry.” The tour begins Monday evening in Fredericton at the Gibson Memorial church hall. The tour includes such organizations as the Council of Canadians, Unifor, the Fredericton District Labour Council, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance, which represents 22 community groups. The Voice of the People tour says it plans to visit every corner of the province to provide “public education about shale gas, clean jobs, and clean energy.” Nineteen stops already have been scheduled. “Over the past four years, there’s been little or no public consultations or meetings initiated by the government or the industry, so people are organizing themselves,” said Jim Emberger, a spokesman for the alliance. Emberger said the town hall-style meetings will provide an overview of scientific evidence on the effects of shale gas, specifically hydraulic fracturing. Alternatives to the industry also will be discussed, he said, with the focus on clean energy initiatives. “The government of New Brunswick has failed to provide the public with peer-reviewed scientific evidence of the harmful effects of shale gas fracking and shale gas development,” Emberger said. “The people are not getting the information that they need.” Leonard said the ant-shale gas lobby relies on out-of-date studies and exaggerated numbers. For example, he said that, using multipliers, the critics claim New Brunswick could have 6,000 people employed in the wind energy industry, but he said that in reality the numbers are much smaller, only about 100 to 200 people. “It just shows the level of hyperbole that comes out of some of these studies and from this group itself,” he said. “New Brunswickers have learned a lot about natural gas development over the last couple of years. They are getting more and more familiar with the industry.” He said the government is not planning any special activities to counter the Voice of the People tour. “The message is already out there,” Leonard said. “We will continue to talk about the facts and the actual results from the industry. We’ll point out things like the Canadian Geological Survey study in Penobsquis last year which showed absolutely no impacts on water. The facts have a way of coming to the fore and no matter how much misinformation they try to put out to block those facts, New Brunswickers will see through it.” The Tory government is committed to the exploration and development of shale gas reserves, saying it would be irresponsible for the province not to pursue such opportunities. A study by auditing firm Deloitte states that each new shale gas well in New Brunswick will generate about $13 million in economic spinoffs and create roughly the equivalent of 21 full-time jobs, requiring 206 different skill sets over its life cycle. Each well will also grow the province’s gross domestic product by $9 million, according to the report. The New Brunswick Energy Institute also recently announced plans to spend more than $500,000 on research looking at well water quality in areas where industry wants to develop shale gas. (with files from Adam Huras)
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 15:03:14 +0000
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