Cocagne to host official provincial New Brunswick Day celebration

08 July 2014

 Media Contact(s)

Jesse Robichaud, communications, Office of the Premier, 506-453-2144.

COCAGNE (GNB) – Official New Brunswick Day 2014 celebrations will be held this year on Monday, Aug. 4, in Cocagne.

"New Brunswick Day is an opportunity for all of us to come together to celebrate the outstanding past, present and future we are so blessed to enjoy here at home," said Premier David Alward. "This year, the official celebration will provide an opportunity to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War and the many New Brunswickers who contributed so courageously to the war effort. The heroic sacrifice of these strong men and women laid the foundation for the prosperity and quality of life we enjoy today in our communities.”

Alward encouraged New Brunswickers to celebrate the day in Cocagne where the province’s vibrant rural life will be celebrated.

The local organizing committee is comprised of representatives from Cocagne, Bouctouche, and Saint-Antoine.

The celebration will begin at 10 a.m. at the Cocagne arena, 19 Marina Rd. An official ceremony and the announcement of the recipients of the Order of New Brunswick will take place at 11 a.m. The opening will be followed by music, food, activities and kiosks.

"We are glad to be hosting this year's official New Brunswick Day celebrations," said Jean Hébert, mayor of Cocagne. "We look forward to showcasing our people and our culture to the entire province, enabling us to be true to the hospitality that makes our community such a terrific place to visit. Come celebrate with us on Aug 4."

New Brunswick Day has been celebrated since 1976. An official host community has been chosen since 1990.

http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/premier/news/news_release.2014.07.0816.html

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We are planning to express our displeasure with the premier's plan to industrialize "the province's vibrant rural life"  that we have come to cherish living in Cocagne through unlimited unconventional oil and gas exploration and development (fracking).  The government's lease map shows how Cocagne and the surrounding rural communities of Kent South are surrounded by or included in fracking leases.  You can see that the entire Cocagne River Watershed will be in jeopardy . Maybe even your own home!

We have close to 100 NO SHALE GAS signs in both french and english.  Stop by or email us if you need one.  We need your help to post these signs throughout Kent South prior to the September 22 elections. We plan to display the Kent South NO SHALE GAS Kent Sud banner somewhere in Cocagne on August 4 and will have signs for sell.  Seeing signs posted along highways coming into Cocagne (especially Highway 11) will send a message.  Having people holding signs would be even more powerful.  Don't be shy about approaching the media.

If you plan to come and participate, we believe in peaceful, dignified, non-violent protest - no blocking traffic or pathways, no shouting, no screaming, no profanity, no alcohol, no drugs, dress like you were going to visit a good friend, and act towards others as you want them to act towards you.  Please honour these beliefs if you wish to join us on August 4 in Cocagne.

If this man had the courage to make a statement, 

so can you.

“...Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. 

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”    

Margaret Mead

23/JUNE/2014 - NBASGA FILES STATEMENT OF CLAIM WITH COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH

June 23 will be remembered as an historic day for the citizens of New Brunswick and perhaps of the world.  NBASGA held a press conference at the Capital Theatre in Moncton to announce that it has filed a Statement of Claim in the Court of Queen's Bench in Saint John against the Government of New Brunswick.  

The link to the full text of the NBASGA Statement of Claim and also located in the "INTERESTING RESOURCES" sidebar on the right.

Rather than repeat what was said at the press conference, I am inserting the comments made by Roy Ries, president of NBASGA.

"Good morning everyone, and welcome to a historic day for the people of New Brunswick.

Earlier this morning, NBASGA formally filed a Statement of Claim against the Province of New Brunswick in Court of Queens’ Bench.

We are asking the courts to place a moratorium on the development of unconventional shale gas and oil in our province until such time as long-term, population-based scientific studies demonstrate that it can be done safely.

The three plaintiffs acting for NBASGA in this action are Roy Ries, Jim Emberger, and Carol Ring.  

NBASGA did not take the decision to launch court action lightly, but we were given no choice.

For more than three years, we have been desperately trying to get the provincial government to listen to the independent scientists and doctors sounding the alarm about this industry.

And we have documented the massive opposition to such development by the people affected.

Nothing has worked.

Four years ago the Alward government’s decision to develop shale gas was announced as a fait accompli.

Since then, it has ignored and dismissed out of hand the growing mountain of scientific evidence about the threat posed by the industry.

In short, our choice was between turning a blind eye to life-threatening activities authorized by the provincial government or doing our utmost to protect the lives of people here today and our children and grandchildren tomorrow.

Well, that’s no choice at all, and, after four years of trying every peaceful means possible to communicate the dangers of this industry to the government, we find ourselves here today.

There is simply no way to develop shale gas in New Brunswick using current technologies without needlessly jeopardizing people’s lives.

NBASGA will provide the Court with the independent, peer-reviewed scientific studies and research documenting the potentially catastrophic threat to human life and the environment posed by developing unconventional shale gas and oil deposits.

We will document the damage to health and the many illnesses associated with the industry, including cancer in adults and congenital heart defects and low birth weights for babies born near shale gas wells.

We will also document the life-threatening contamination of air, water, and land associated with the development of shale gas using current technologies. 

Our water, air and land are the sources of life on the planet. We will document that the unconventional oil and gas industry is also a threat to the very planet itself through its acceleration of climate change.

The notion that we should sacrifice the very water, air and land needed to sustain life itself in order to create a few short-term, unsustainable jobs is madness. 

NBASGA cannot stand idly by while the very font of life that sustains us all is threatened with destruction.

We have been referring to our legal action as ‘The Science Suit,’ and that is a very succinct summary of NBASGA’s approach: we will be asking the court to make its decision on the basis of science.

To date, the scientific studies that have been done show that the activities, processes and technologies used by the shale gas industry are so dangerous that they violate the constitutional right of all New Brunswickers – indeed all Canadians – to security of the person guaranteed by Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

I note that the security of the person protected by Section 7 of the Charter includes the right of all Canadians to health and to clean drinking water.

It is our position that the Government of New Brunswick cannot legally take decisions that needlessly threaten the life and health of its citizens by allowing the water they depend on to drink or the air they depend on to breathe to be so polluted as to be incapable of sustaining life.

A new day is dawning in New Brunswick.

A new day where the protection of our families, our neighbors and our communities is more important than private, partisan agendas.

We all share a moral obligation to do our utmost to ensure that generations not-yet-born will also have clean air to breathe and fresh water to drink.

The air, water and land that sustain all life are a common heritage that every generation holds in trust for future generations.

The heritage of life that our air, land and water represent for all generations is not ours to despoil and ruin.

We welcome your questions. Ms. Melanson and Mr. Emberger will respond to questions regarding the scientific evidence – in either French or English. And any questions you have regarding legal aspects will be answered by Mr. Kowalchuk [NBASGA legal representation}."

Roy Ries
NBASGA, President



NBASGA realizes that this will be a long struggle.  You can be part of that struggle by supporting the NB Water First Legal Fund that has made this action possible.  You can make a PayPal donation, no matter how small or large, by going to www.knowshalegasnb.ca or by mailing your donations to NB Water First Inc., PO Box 4526, Rothesay NB E2E 1A0.  Together we can be heard.

For further information concerning the work being done by the New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance, we invite you to our website at www.NoShaleGasNB.ca

MUST READ LETTER

Ann Pohl, member of the Upriver Environment Watch, recently sent the following letter to the Hon D. Soucy regarding the SWN Phased EIA Applications.  In her insightful letter, Ann questions the process of using a "phased EIA process" instead of the legislated and required comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as required under NB law.  She asks the question:  Is this but a ruse to promote shale gas development without any recourse by private  citizens?

You can find her letter in the sidebar under "Interesting Resources" or at the UEW website at

http://wp.me/p2KBDa-6t or http://upriverenvironmentwatch.com/2014/05/27/my-comments-to-govt-of-nb-about-their-collusion-with-swns-outlaw-applications-to-build-well-pads-and-access-roads/

Please share her letter with family, friends and neighbours.  The elections are but four short months away.  We need to keep our eyes on the prize.  Speak up.

Richard Lachance

Kent South NO SHALE GAS Kent Sud

TED TALKS: WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?

This TED Talk on Leadership has ramifications on how our government and its policies of citizen sacrifice of the many for the good of the few.  While the subject is built around successful businesses, the same principles apply to government and public leaders.

Wise words from Wendell Berry

“One possibility is just to tag along with the fantasists in government and industry who would have us believe that we can pursue our ideals of affluence, comfort, mobility, and leisure indefinitely. This curious faith is predicated on the notion that we will soon develop unlimited new sources of energy: domestic oil fields, shale oil, gasified coal, nuclear power, solar energy, and so on. This is fantastical because the basic cause of the energy crisis is not scarcity; it is moral ignorance and weakness of character. We don't know how to use energy, or what to use it for. And we cannot restrain ourselves. Our time is characterized as much by the abuse and waste of human energy as it is by the abuse and waste of fossil fuel energy. Nuclear power, if we are to believe its advocates, is presumably going to be well used by the same mentality that has egregiously devalued and misapplied man- and womanpower. If we had an unlimited supply of solar or wind power, we would use that destructively, too, for the same reasons.”

Wendell Berry

5 March 2014

Response and comments to:

McCULLY PHASED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PHASE III:  

NATURAL GAS EXPLORATION AND 

DEVELOPMENT IN McCULLY FIELD

Feb 2014        TE131040

The EIA submitted to Corridor Resources Inc. by AMEC Environment & Infrastructure is the first EIA I have ever commented upon.  Being as it is premised upon the perviously approved Phase I & II submittals, the Phase III EIA will no doubt include the minimum information required by the GNB in order to grant its approval to proceed.  However, I would like to go on record concerning inadequacies not included in this study that should have a bearing upon further exploration and development of unconventional gas and oil in Penobsquis as well as the province in general.

The EIA should begin by clearly acknowledging that the very nature and procedures used in the development of unconventional gas through hydraulic or propane fracturing are inherently toxic and dangerous.  The EIA states the intention of Corridor Resources to meet all the minimum standards as regulated by the GNB. The potential dangers to the residents of the local community and the local ecosystems are grave and require extraordinary measures be evaluated and undertaken.  The precautionary principle established by courts in Canada clearly define the responsibility of the industry and the government to protect the citizenry and the environment. 

The initial exploration and development of the McCully Field was approved by the GNB prior to the findings of subsequent peer reviewed scientific studies regarding current methods and standards of unconventional gas exploration and extraction.  New studies surface each day that question the efficacy of current industry methodologies and the long tern safety and sustainability of the industry in general.  I would implore the GNB to review these studies prior to approval of the Phase III EIA.

As recommended by Dr. Eilish Cleary, NB Chief Medical Officer of Health, as well as the NB College of Family Physicians, base line studies of the long term health effects of the industry need to be undertaken prior to approving expansion of the industry.  For example, a recent study by the Colorado School of Public Health has documented a correlation of birth defects within 10 miles of well pads. This is well beyond the 250 meter minimum setback required by NB Rules for Industry for separation of well pads from residences or the 5 km radius study area of this EIA or the public consultation by Corridor of “landowners within an 1800 meter radius of the the three well pads”.  Residents of Penobsquis have persistently requested, to no avail, air monitoring by theDepartment of the Environment and the industry to safeguard their families’ health.  Air monitoring is not even mentioned in the EIA.  Unfortunately, the residents of Penobsquis have become the “canaries in the gas fields”.

The Phase III EIA describes the fracture treatment of existing wells using propane (LPG): two (2) treatments at the J-76 shale well; one (1) treatment at the D-67 sand well and the P-67 sand well; and two (2) treatments at the L-37 sand well.  Fracture treatment using LPG has been conducted previously by Corridor.  The use of LPG as a fracturing agent is new and potentially very hazardous.  The health and property of the entire community could be adversely affected by an unintended accident.  Are local volunteer fire fighting units trained and equipped to respond to a mishap involving large quantities of LPG and toxic materials?  Dr. Anthony Ingraffea had the following comments concerning LPG fracturing:

Fracing with liquified propane, or butane (LPG):

• still needs large quantities of additional, but different chemicals to add to the LPG;
• needs HD compressor on each site to recondense returned propane/butane for reuse, and additional processing on each site for reuse;
• frac process is now nearly "robotic" because of risks to personnel on the pad;
• have been two explosions/fires in past year, one quite serious with hospitalizations;
• many truckloads of LPG needed for each frac job-these trucks are transporting hazardous material, not water;
• LPG not available in large enough volumes to make this "THE" method in any play with tens of thousands of wells projected;
• the biggies, Schlumberger, Hallliburton, et al. will not like encroachment on their turf..they have billions invested in equipment and personnel training for water based fracing, but they currently say they are "interested" in this new line of research: you make the call
• the ONLY substantive information about the process comes from the company - in effect advertising claims. There has been no independent empirical analysis of the complete life cycle of LPG fracs.
• still transports some materials from downhole just like slick water does and will be subject to the same constraints:

1. communication back to surface via faults and old open wells
2. communication/migration of methane and other downhole crap via casing sealing failures and leaks (cf the Pavilion/EPA study (11-10-11 released) and the "Duke" methane migration study), and
3. surface spills of frac related materials that comes back up
4. the added danger of propane, a heavier than air gas leaking and pooling in low spots near the well pad in large amounts and causing an explosion hazard

Bottom line: no science available to evaluate either env impact of LP frac or the safety thereof. Grasping at straws for a solution to a problem the industry claims does not exist.

A. R. Ingraffea, Ph.D., P.E.

Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering

Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow

Cornell University   

The potential dangers of further production of sand or shale gas wells in a flood plain

and in an area of known and continuing subsidence is not adequately addressed in the 

Phase III EIA.  Recent flooding events in Colorado are an example of what can happen 

to well pads in a flood plain.  Any unforeseen damages or accidents resulting form gas 

development or production in a flood plain are not easily mitigated.  The EIA should 

clearly define mitigation measures such that they can be peer reviewed for adequacy. 

Dr. Anthony Ingraffea called the locating of gas wells in a subsidence area like 

Penobsquis “foolish, asking for trouble” and “Speaking as an engineer ... it’s stupid.  

Don’t do it.”  Since the wells of the McCully field are located in the same flood plain 

above the potash mines, the EIA should also address the potential for and response 

plan to a well failure or mining accident releasing methane into the the mines underlying 

the community.

Conclusions:

The inherent toxic and dangerous nature of the unconventional oil and gas industry and its history of harm to humans and natural ecosystems should make the development of this industry near existing homes and businesses unthinkable.  All steel rusts, all concrete fails, all gas wells will eventually lose their well bore integrity and leak.  This is a non-sustainable industry exploited on an industrial scale for short term profit at the expense of the people who live in Penobsquis.

The Premier and various ministers of the GNB have stated that unconventional gas development is essential to providing jobs and operating the potash mines in Penobsquis.  The gas produced in the McCully Field is partially used by the Potash Corporation in the operation of the mines and partially to generate profits for Corridor Resources.  Have the meager royalties earned by the province, after reimbursing Corridor Resources for its capital expenditures, covered the costs of damages to public infrastructure and additional health care?  

Contrary to public statements made by the Premier and various ministers of the GNB, the citizens of Penobsquis have had their health, air, water and properties adversely affected by the industrialization of their rural community.  When their water wells went dry or became non-potable, the GNB and the industries stonewalled for years before providing a replacement water system (at taxpayer expense).  Residents of Penobsquis have persistently requested, to no avail, for air monitoring by the Department of the Environment and the industry to safeguard their families’ health.  The residents have not  been compensated for the loss of value in their homes under the NB Rules for Industry. 

Before the GNB asks other New Brunswick families and communities to sacrifice their way of life and wellbeing to unconventional oil and gas exploration and development, the lessons learned and experienced by the citizens of Penobsquis need to be heard. They were not included in the Phase III Environmental Impact Assessment.

Consider an alternative.  The Potash Corporation could have chosen to invest in a biomass boiler system and renewable power generation to generate the hot water, steam and electricity they needed to operate the mines and as a byproduct could have also offered a district hot water / home heating system to the community as a good corporate neighbor.  More local jobs would have been created to operate the biomass system and to service the renewable power system meaning more income for the local economy. The $10 million spent on the water system to replace lost wells could have been avoided and/or spent in the development of the biomass and renewable systems.  The corporation would have had the energy they needed, more local jobs would have been created, property values would have been protected, the community would have received the benefit of hot water and home heating, the air would have been safe to breathe and the water to drink, and a bright future could been a reality for future generations of residents in Penobsquis.

Richard Lachance & Eveline Haché

Cocagne NB                                                                                                     

"The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over its government." 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

LORSQUE L’AGENT DE TERRAIN SE PRÉSENTE À VOTRE PORTE NE SIGNEZ RIEN AVANT D’ÊTRE ABSOLUMENT CERTAIN

• Ne pas signer des baux, de servitudes ou de permis (arpentage, exploration, terrains, etc.), sauf si vous savez ce qui est dans le document. Des documents signés de tous types ont été utilisés avec succès par des compagnies de gaz comme preuve d’approbation ou de consentement du prop aux agences gouvernementales pour obtenir un permis de développement.

• Les compagnies de gaz ne veulent pas avoir votre terre, ils veulent seulement louer votre terre. De cette façon, le propriétaire peut être partiellement ou totalement responsable de tout dommage causé par la compagnie de gaz ou l’expiration de leur bail. Dans le cas des puits de gaz, eh bien cela signifie que vous, en tant que propriétaire pouvez être tenu responsable des dommages causés par les puits pour toujours.

• Tout ce qui n'est pas écrit dans le bail N’EST PAS dans le bail. Toutes les assurances verbales de la part d'un agent de terrain ou d’une compagnie de gaz ne sont que des mots et ne sont pas juridiquement contraignantes.

• Ne signez pas un bail en tant qu'individu, mais seulement en tant que groupe organisé. Les agents de terrain joueront voisin contre voisin pour obtenir les prix les plus bas et moins de restrictions.

• Les commissions de services publics gouvernementaux comme la Commission des services publics de l'énergie (EUB) ne règlent que la réglementation des services publics. Ils sont généralement occupés par des personnes à l'intérieur ou associées aux industries qu'ils réglementent. Ils n'agissent pas en tant que plate-forme pour les griefs de baux entre les propriétaires et la compagnie de gaz. Les baux fonciers sont des accords juridiques et ne sont pas sous leur mandat.

• La plupart des avocats n'ont pas d'expérience en matière de droits de propriété, en particulier, ils ne sont pas familiers avec les lois qui se rapportent à des sociétés de gaz et des baux de gaz / pipeline.

• Les agents de terrain ne sont pas employés par vous. Ils ne travaillent pas dans votre intérêt. Les agents de terrain veulent seulement acquérir des baux à plus bas prix avec le moins de responsabilité pour leurs clients, à savoir les compagnies de gaz. Les agents de terrain représentent l'acheteur (la compagnie de gaz), pas le vendeur (propriétaire du bien).

• Tous baux sur vos terres, y compris toutes les obligations futures seront liés à votre propriété si vous essayez de vendre. Les baux peuvent limiter votre utilisation ou l'utilisation de tout futur acheteur de la terre. Ces restrictions peuvent encore être modifiées au fil du temps par la Commission des services publics de l'énergie (EUB).

• Le pipeline de TransCanada proposé par le Nouveau-Brunswick serait réglementé par l'Office national de l'énergie (ONE) et mettrait fin à toutes les lois environnementales ou réglementaires provinciaux. Une fois que les contrats de location gérés par l'Office expirent, toute la responsabilité retombe sur la province, les propriétaires fonciers et les contribuables de la province.

• La seule force dont nous disposons est en interdisant ensemble. Nous devons faire le travail sur le terrain, afin de réunir autant de personnes que possible pour protéger nos propriétés. Cela signifie frapper à la porte de nos voisins ou se mettre au téléphone. Nous devons développer une Association de propriétaire NB pour développer un front uni dans le traitement des agents de terrain utilisées par les compagnies de gaz.

WHEN THE LAND AGENT COMES CALLING

DON’T SIGN ANYTHING UNTIL YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE

• Do not sign any leases, easements, or permits (surveying, exploration, land, etc.) unless you know what's in the document.  Signed documents of any type have been successfully used by gas companies as evidence of the landowner's implied approval or consent when applying to the Energy Utility Board (EUB) or government agencies for permission to develop.

• Gas companies do not want to own your land, they only want to lease your land.  This way the landowner can be partially or totally responsible for any damages caused by the gas company or their lease expires.  In the case of gas wells that means you as the landowner may be responsible for any damages from the wells forever.

• Anything not written in a lease is NOT in the lease.  Any verbal assurances from a land agent or a gas company are only words and are not legally binding.

• Don't sign a leases as an individual, only as part of an organized group.  Land agents will play neighbor against neighbor to get the lowest prices and least restrictions.  

• Government utility boards like the Energy Utility Board (EUB) only regulate utility regulations.  They are typically staffed by people from within or associated with the industries they regulate. They do not act as a platform for lease grievances between landowners and gas company.  Land leases are legal agreements and are not under their mandates.

• Most lawyers do not have experience in property rights issues, in particular, they are not familiar with the laws that relate to gas companies and gas / pipeline leases.

• Land agents are not employed by you.  They do not work in your interests.  Land agents only want to acquire leases at the lowest price with the least responsibility or liability for their clients, i.e. the gas companies.  Land agents represent the buyer (gas company), not the seller (property owner).

• Any lease on your land including all future liabilities will be tied to your property if you attempt to sell it.  The leases may restrict your use or any future buyer's use of the land.  Those restrictions can even be changed overtime by the Energy Utility Board (EUB).

• The proposed TransCanada Pipeline through New Brunswick would be regulated by the National Energy Board (NEB) and would supersede any provincial environmental or regulatory laws.  Once the leases managed by the NEB expire, all responsibility falls back on the province, land owners and the taxpayers of the province.

• The only strength we have is in banning together.  We need to do the ground work and leg work to bring together as many people as possible to protect our properties.  That means knocking on our neighbors' doors or getting on the phone.  We need to develop a NB Landowners Association to develop a united front in dealing with the land agents employed by the gas companies.

COCAGNE – NON AUX GAZ DE SCHISTES – FAITS SAILLANTS

Santé:   Des 353 des 632 produits chimiques utilisés pendant l’hydrofracturation : 75 % peuvent avoir un effet sur la peau, les yeux, le système respiratoire et le système gastro-intestinal; 40 à 50 % peuvent avoir un effet sur le cerveau, les reins et les systèmes nerveux, immunitaire et cardio-vasculaire; 37 % peuvent avoir un effet sur le système endocrinien; 25 % sont des substances cancérigènes et mutagènes. Le Collège des médecins de famille du Nouveau-Brunswick a demandé un moratoire sur l’exploration et l’exploitation des gaz de schiste en raison du manque d’information et de données de référence nécessaire pour développer une politique en matière de santé

publique.

Valeur de la propriété: Dans les régions où l’industrie des gaz de schistes est présente, la valeur immobilière peut chuter de 24 à 75 %; l’obtention d’hypothèque et d’assurance est plus difficile. Ceci rend la vente de la propriété quasi impossible. Il faut noter que la province, les DSLs, les villes et villages dépendent de l’impôt foncier pour fournir les services de base. Pour vérifier si votre terrain est situé sur le territoire exploitable par l’industrie des gaz des schistes, rendez-vous au : https://geonb.snb.ca/ong/

Emplois: Les emplois spécialisés et les mieux rémunérés sont généralement distribués à des entreprises ultraspécialisées et non aux résidents.

Transport:   Augmentation de la circulation routière – la fracturation d’un seul puits nécessite entre 1000 à 5000 voyages de camions sans compter la circulation générée par la construction des plateformes d’exploitation et la restauration des sites. La recherche démontre que les accords de redevances n’ont pas couvert les coûts liés aux

dommages faits aux routes et aux ponts pendant les activités de fracturation.

Environnement: 1 à 5 millions de gallons d’eau mélangés avec plus de 632 substances chimiques sont utilisés pour faire la fracturation d’un seul puits. Les contaminants incluent des métaux lourds comme le plomb et l’arsenic, le radon et d’autres matériaux radioactifs retrouvés dans les débris de forage et les retours d’eau. La pollution ou la contamination des terrains est habituellement le résultat de défauts de construction dans le tubage de revêtement des puits, de mauvaises pratiques pendant les travaux de forage, de dégâts industriels ou d’accidents lors du transport. De plus, il faudra prévoir le stockage à long terme ou le traitement de milliards de gallons d’eau toxique et de contaminants issus des activités de la fracturation hydraulique.

Taille de l’industrie: 1.4 million d’hectares (1/7 de la province) sont présentement sous exploration. Cette exploration s’effectue dans des secteurs agricoles, forestiers (incluant les zones humides) et à forte densité de population. Ceci représente une possibilité de 86 480 puits (5405 plateformes d’exploitation avec 4 à 16 puits). Selon les règlementations mises en place par le gouvernement du NB, les plateformes d’exploitation peuvent être situées à 250 mètres (4 patinoires) de votre maison et de votre puits d’eau potable.

Pollution par le bruit et la lumière:  Elle est présente 24/7 pendant les travaux d’hydro-fracturation (la construction d’un puits dure typiquement 4 mois). À celle-ci s’ajoutent le bruit et la lumière générés par l’augmentation de la circulation routière, la construction des plateformes d’exploitation et la restauration des sites.

Aspects légaux:  Les antécédents du gouvernement du NB en matière de soutiens des résidents en dispute avec des entreprises d’exploitation ne sont pas fiables. Ex. : Les résidents de Penobsquis doivent maintenant payer pour l’eau qu’ils obtenaient autrefois de leur puits privé. Aucune protection ou aide légale n’a été fournie par la province.

Aspects moraux: À l’encontre des droits issus des traités avec les Premières Nations et de leurs croyances spirituelles.

Kent South NO SHALE GAS Kent Sud

What You Need to Know

Health:   Of the known 632 chemicals used in “fracking” fluid, 353 chemicals can be harmful to your health:  75% could affect skin, eyes, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems;  40-50% could affect the brain and nervous, immune and cardiovascular systems and the kidneys;  37% could affect the endocrine system;  25% are carcinogens and mutagens. The New Brunswick College of Family Physicians have called for a moratorium on “fracking” due to insufficient base line data or information currently available to develop a public health policy.  “Fracking” companies often require a non-disclosure agreement be signed by property owners to receive injury remediation and by doctors to receive information to treat patients.   

Property Values: 24-75% reduction in home value as well as mortgage and insurance unavailability has resulted in areas where the “fracking” industry exists.  Such reductions can potentially devastate homeowners and even prevent the sale of their properties.  The province, LSDs, towns and villages depend upon local property taxes to provide basic services.  Is your property under a current shale gas lease?  You can find out if your property is under lease by going to  http://geonb.snb.ca/ong/  

Jobs: The promise of jobs has been shown to be overstated.  The high skill / higher pay “fracking” jobs are typically contracted to specialized drilling service corporations.  Local citizens are only offered the lower pay/ lower skill, boom/bust service and support related jobs.

Transportation:  Increased road traffic - 1000 to 5000 truck trips to “frack” one well - in addition to road traffic required for drill pad construction and site restoration.  Royalty agreements have not covered the cost of roadway and bridge damage in other areas where “fracking” has occurred. 

Water & Land:  Private and public water supplies can be permanently damaged by shale gas development.  1 to 5 million gallons of water combined with over 632 chemicals are used to “frack” one well.  Added potential contaminates include lead, arsenic, heavy metals, radon, and radioactive materials from drill cuttings and blowback water. Documented pollution and contamination occurs at the surface from failed well casings, drilling processes, industrial and traffic mishaps.  Long term disposal and containment will be required for billions of gallons of toxic “frack” waste waters and millions of cubic yards of contaminated “fracking” waste materials.

Industrial Scale:  1.4 million hectares (1/7 of province) under current leases on some of the most populated, agriculturally productive and forested land within province.  Potential of 5405 well pads on a 640-acre grid at one well per 40-acre or 86,480 wells total.  Each well pad could have 4-16 “frack” wells.  Under the current Shale Gas Development Rules and Regulation developed by the NB Government, well pads can be located 250 meters (820 feet or 4 hockey rinks) from your home or water well.

Noise & Light Pollution: 24/7 high level noise and light pollution is generated during “fracking” operations (typically up to four months in duration per well).  Additional light and noise pollution is generated from road traffic, well pad construction and site restoration.

Legal: NB Government does not have a reliable track record in support of citizens in disputes, e.g. Penobsquis residents now have to pay for water they once received from their private wells; they were not provided with legal protection by the province.  Individuals and families do not have the resources for legal action to address grievances and injuries from large corporations.

Moral: Counter to First Nations spiritual beliefs, aboriginal and treaty rights.   Counter to Judeo-Christian teachings on social justice and environmental stewardship.  Counter to known scientific knowledge of the effects of the continued use of fossil fuels on the global climate and the environment.

A Response to Premier David Alward’s

2014 State of the Province Address

2 February 2014

Enough is Enough

Premier David Alward has made “crystal clear” in his State of the Province Address that the PCNB government is pushing ahead with the development of the shale gas industry.  During this past summer the mantra of the PCNB has been “Don’t worry, it’s only exploration.  The citizens will be consulted prior to any decisions to proceed with development of the industry.”  That commitment rings hollow to the citizens of New Brunswick.

Mr. Alward said, "We will not let the personal agendas of the minority be a roadblock to developing our province's bright future." The decision to develop an unconventional shale gas industry is the personal agenda of a minority, i.e. the government in collusion with a small wealthy sector of our province.  Many citizens of New Brunswick have a very different idea as to what qualifies as a bright future.  As is being done successfully in other countries, we want to move into the future with a diversified economy fueled in large part with sustainable renewable energy and sustainable jobs.

Mr. Alward, unconventional shale gas is a dirty, toxic and dangerous industry - period.  After 10 years of hydraulic fracturing, the evidence continues to mount that this process of extracting natural gas cannot be done safely and without great risk.  

Mr. Alward said, "I want to be crystal clear, that we are supportive of shale gas, and its potential as an industry to help us achieve our goals. To not take advantage of this opportunity would be one of the most irresponsible things a government could do”.

We also want to be crystal clear, that we are not supportive of shale gas, and its potential as an industry to prevent us from achieving our goals. To take advantage of this opportunity would be one of the most irresponsible things our government could do.  

Enough is Enough

Premier Alward said, "In the coming days we will unveil our forestry plan that will focus on increasing the amount of fibre we can put in the system and ultimately put more boots in the woods all over the province and create jobs".  That translates into providing more timber access to the corporations that now (mis)manage our crown forests.  The Acadian Forests have been decimated and turned into tree plantations for the economic benefit of the corporations.  This has resulted in the loss of local woodsmen and environmental integrity.  We the taxpayers are actually paying the corporations to take our wood for their profit!  Quebec and British Columbia have embraced the concept of community forestry over corporate monopoly. Isn’t it time to consider the same in New Brunswick?

Enough is Enough

The PCNB 2010 party platform has been used to say that the government ran on a platform of shale gas development and therefore has a mandate to do so.  That same platform also included the passing of a Referendum Act to allow citizens to vote on issues of major consequence to their collective well being.  The premier and his government have not followed through on the Referendum Act mandate.  Will Mr. Alward and the PCNB include the Referendum Act in thePCNB platform for the 2016 election?

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? Mark 8:36

Enough IS Enough

Richard Lachance & Eveline Haché
Kent South NO SHALE GAS Kent Sud
 www.KentSouthNSG.blogspot.ca

An Afternoon in Penobsquis

Sunday, 8 September 2013, saw a gathering of approximately 50 people from throughout the province sharing with Penobsquis residents their experiences of the development of the 31 natural gas wells in their community.  Their stories are of particular relevance to the future of shale gas development proposed by our government on 1/7 of the most populated and fertile provincial lands.

The current Corridor Resources gas wells in Penobsquis are extracting natural gas from sandstone formations that are shallower in depth and required much less fresh water and industrialized impact than the shale gas wells being currently pursued by the Government of New Brunswick. The toxic waste water from drilling these wells was transported to Nova Scotia who have refused to accept any future waste waters from New Brunswick.  The water currently being pumped out of the mines by Potash Corporation is currently being piped into the Bay of Fundy. 

The natural gas development done by Corridor Resources in Penobsquis was done in cooperation with the Potash Corporation.  Half of the 31 Corridor Resources wells are jointly owned by the Potash Corporation with a significant amount of the gas produced utilized by Potash Corporation in its mining operations.  It is often difficult to say what negative impacts were caused by which industry.  In fact, the close relationship between the industries are in reality and should be considered as one industry, i.e. the Potash-Corridor Corporation.

The industrialization of this portion of the Sussex Valley has changed the rural way of life of the community for decades to come. Properties have subsided and moved laterally, existing water wells have gone dry, and the air has a distinctive odor. These are the obvious current and continuing physical impacts. What the future holds is still not fully known.

The affected residents who lost their water have fought the Potash-Corridor Corporation for six years to acknowledge responsibility for the damages they caused to little or no avail.  The government even denied the residents access to civil courts to seek redress.  Eventually, a district water system was constructed to provide potable water to the residents of Penobsquis as well as to the Potash-Corridor Corporation at taxpayer expense. It would seem that access to water for the potash/natural gas industry as well as restitution to the community should have been the sole responsibility of the Potash-Corridor Corporation as part of doing business.  The costs should have been borne by the shareholders, not the residents of New Brunswick.

Several producing natural gas well pads as well as a compressor station were visited by the gathered participants.  What was seen was the “nice” side of the natural gas industry - fenced industrial pads with forest green painted well heads, piping and small equipment sheds.  What we smelled near the potash mines took our breath away. The sight and sounds of the birds and insects that used to inhabit the same lands were absent.  What wasn’t experienced were the months of noise and light pollution and heavy traffic experienced by the residents when the wells were developed.

The social impact upon the community was told with every story.  The Potash-Corridor Corporation has become the town.  People who work for the corporation, or have family members and neighbors who work for the corporation, are fearful to speak about what is happening to their community.  Those who question what is happening have fewer friends and have even received anonymous death threats.  Some family elders are fearful to leave their homes. People will drive by their mailbox depending on who is there.  A new face in town is looked upon with suspicion. Property value depreciation and the inability to sell property have become a fact of life.  People no longer look at Penobsquis as a desirable place to live, to move to or to begin new businesses.  

The provincial government acts as if it has the right to allow corporations to move into traditionally residential or agricultural communities without any obligation of the corporation to receive the consent of or to establish a social contract with the residents.  When historically unknown impacts result from their industrial activities, residents must prove harm by the industry.  The corporation has no obligation to prove they did no harm.  This amounts to the seizure (expropriation) by the government of a community’s way of life and personal property without compensation for the benefit of the shareholders of a corporation.

The residents of Penobsquis have much to tell us about what can happen to all our communities.  Our responsibility is to listen.  If we love the places in which we live, we need to speak up and protect them for the generations yet to come.

Richard Lachance

Kent South NO SHALE GAS Kent Sud

KentSouthNSG.blogspot.ca

9 September 2013