Maritime communities rally against shale gas fracking

Fears of water contamination and environmental damage are fuelling backlash against a controversial gas-drilling method in the Maritimes.

Energy companies in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to access natural gas deposits deep underground. The process involves drilling wells through shale and then blasting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the rock. The resulting pressure fractures the formations, releasing the trapped gas.

Critics say fracking damages the soil, potentially causing small earthquakes. Many also fear the chemicals used in the process will poison drinking water. That some New Brunswick residents living near fracking sites have been able to light their tap water on fire hasn't helped.

The industry insists the process is safe. At least 175,000 wells have been fracked in Canada, the majority of them in Alberta. Almost every other province is exploring fracking on some level.

So far, only two wells have been fracked in Nova Scotia. So activists there are trying to avoid what's happening in neighbouring New Brunswick, where nearly 50 wells have been fracked.

Jennifer West, Nova Scotia Fracking Resource and Action Coalition chairwoman, told CTV News she's gearing up for a long struggle.

"There's really an opportunity for us to stop it here until we know it can be done safely, it can be done properly," she said.

So far, the coalition chaired by West is attracting many environmental groups and individuals. Thousands of Maritimers have marched in protest, blocked roads and signed petitions in recent months.

The N.S. government is reviewing hydraulic fracturing methods, but opponents say that's not enough. They are intent on blocking fracking by energy companies like Elmworth Energy, a Canadian subsidiary of Denver-based Triangle Petroleum Corp.

"The more people learn, the more they become concerned about it," said David Coon, executive director of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.

Interim Opposition Leader Victor Boudreau said the N.B. government "has kept its blinders on the whole time and is going full steam ahead."

"(It) doesn't want to talk about a moratorium, doesn't even want to talk about enforcement," Boudreau told CTV News.

There have been reports of contaminated wells and fracking accidents in the United States, where fierce opposition to the practice has also built up. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently found compounds likely associated with fracking chemicals in the groundwater beneath Pavillion, Wyo.

In response to protests, the Quebec government suspended commercial fracking last March until public consultations are done.

Original Article
Source: CTV