Tues., Nov 3, 2015
SUBMISSION
TO:
NB COMMISSION ON HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
FROM:
NEW BRUNSWICKERS AGAINST FRACKING
Our group is based in the Village of Doaktown and has additional
members from the surrounding communities, altogether
numbering around 150 members.
NBAF is one of the 22 community groups in the NBASGA Alliance.
You have already received a submission from NBASGA with
substantial documentation of the science on hydrofracking and of
the health and environmental studies of the effects of
Unconventional Gas and Oil Development ( UNGOD ), so our group
will not duplicate this, but, rather, focus on the evidence of the
social , health and environmental effects that a Shale Gas Industry
will necessarily have on our small rural communities - specifically
the rural community in which we live – the “heart of the
Miramichi”.
We would like to document for you, based on evidence from other
Shale Gas Industry zones , just how UNGOD could affect our area.
NBAF is at ground zero in the centre of the SWN leased areas. We
are in the “heart of the Miramichi” – one of the prime salmon
fishing rivers - the S.W. branch of the Miramichi - in the world,.
For the people who live here, the river is a $22 million industry.
Our tourism economy is based on the river and its associated
industries. Jobs in stores, motels, restaurants, cottages, canoe
rentals, gas stations, outfitters, guides, hunting and fishing camps
all depend on the river. A shale gas industry in this area would
undoubtedly destroy that economy. Apart from evidence from
other fracking zones that the river itself would be endangered,
how many tourists would want to fight traffic of thousands of
trucks hauling in supplies – water, sand, chemicals etc – and
hauling out wastewater etc. How many tourists would want to
hunt or fish or camp in competition with fracking sites ? One spill,
one overturned truck, in this land of streams and tributaries
would undoubtedfly end up in the river itself destroying its
complex ability to sustain life.
(Vanity Fair June 2010 –in an article on fracking “ The Delaware
River, in PA, was one of the cleanest, free-flowing and best flyfishing rivers in the U.S., It is now the most endangered river in
the country, according to the conservation group, American
Rivers..” )
There have been 2 major spills into the N.W. branch of the
Miramichi River from a tailings pond - in the sixties and in 1991.
The tailings pond belonged to Heath Steele mine in Newcastle in
the Miramichi . The 1991 spill entered a stream called
Tomogonops which runs into a salmon fishing river, Sevogle which
empties into the N.W. Miramichi. It wiped out all life in these
waters and in the N.W. Miramichi which has only slowly partially
recovered. Indeed some residents say, 24 years later, that the
wildlife, once abundant on their river is now only a pale shadow of
itself. The S.W. Miramichi holds far better salmon spawning
grounds than the N.W. branch and a spill in the S.W. branch would
have a much greater impact. All wildlife would be endangered, if
not wiped out and well water would be affected.
For long-term residents of the area, the situation would be grim.
WATER
There has been no mapping of our aquifers. There is no
knowledge of the interconnectedness of underground water
supplies. How can drilling possibly take place SAFELY here ?
The Village of Doaktown has its own Public Water Supply and other
rural residents in this area have their own wells. The
documentation from other fracking zones is not reassuring...
…the state of PA has documented 243 cases of well water
contamination.
…the state of Texas 532 cases of ground water contamination.
AIR
Our Health Care system in the Heart of Miramichi is presently
under great stress. The Canadian Medical Health Association
predicts that costs will rise from $56 million in 2008 to $4 billion
in 2031 due to air pollution which would increase dramatically
with a Shale Gas Industry. Numerous studies show that the
over 700 chemicals used in the fracking ndustry cause very
serious, often fatal problems. In addition, the methane that
leaks from ALL fracked wells is injurious to the health of
humans and wildlife and contributes to the CO2 build up. Our
Health Care System would break under this additional pressure.
INFRASTRUCTURE
There is one major highway through Central New Brunswick Route 8. It needs constant repair and is never in great shape.
Each fracked well requires thousands of truck trips. The
damage to this highway from fracking related traffic will be in
the millions. For example: “The state of Pennsylvania is home
to the massive Marcellus Shale deposit. But for all the revenue
generated, the state had to funnel $265-million back into road
repairs in an attempt to mitigate some of the infrastructural
damage. In Texas, the joy of $3.6-billion in oil and gas taxes was
tempered by a $4-billion bill to repair the roads.”
SOCIAL EFFECTS
The fracking boom has brought heavy trucks crowding rural roads and
out-of-state workers flooding small towns, often overwhelming local
housing, police and public health capacities. The influx of transient
workers with disposable income and little to do in their off hours is a
recipe for trouble in small-towns, where alcohol-related crimes, traffic
accidents, emergency room visits and sexually transmitted infection
have all been on the rise. “Man Camps” a standard feature of such
industrial sites, bring an array of unwelcome activities - such as drugs
and prostitution.
CONCLUSION
The Precautionary Principle should apply.
1. RENEWABLE ENERGY
Alternative, renewable energy is the answer , not just to our need for
energy, but to the world’s need for energy. Many cities and countries
have already embraced the idea and are well on the way to becoming
sustainable - Denmark, Scotland etc. Canada and N.B. lag in this area
– whether from ignorance, laziness, lack of creativity or bad
government. The technology is there – and becoming more affordable
each year. In N.B. we have all the basics necessary, water , wind, sun.
We just need the impetus. Perhaps your Commission will provide that.
2. CLIMATE CHANGE
The elephant in the room , of course, is Climate Change. We do not
have a choice. We have already reached over 400 ppm of CO2 in the
atmosphere. This is beyond scientific safe limits. We MUST move to
renewables NOW. Otherwise as many scientists warn, we risk
civilization itself
THANK YOU
Mary de La Valette,
Om behalf of the Steering Committee of NBAF
Mary de La Valette
Stan Donovan
Dorothy Sexton