Author Archives: NBASGA

Conditions not met on shale gas ban

 By Jim Emberger – Special to Brunswick News – Published Apr 15, 2024

The Telegraph Journal’s editorial board advice (Editorial: Drop NB’s gas moratorium, Apr 11, 2024),  to Premier Blaine Higgs, to lift the fracking moratorium, without satisfying the conditions for doing so, was shocking in its lack of both historic and scientific context.

Ten years ago, the provincial government convened a non-partisan Commission of Hydro-Fracturing, which took weeks of testimony from residents, industries, NGOs and expert witnesses from public health and science specialties. This resulted in the Gallant government establishing a moratorium on fracking, which was to be maintained indefinitely, unless several conditions were met.

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From fossil to future: A collective call for renewable energy in Atlantic Canada

On Wednesday, NBASGA was one of the co-signers of a letter signed by 28 groups in the Atlantic provinces, demanding that government leaders focus on growing renewable energy infrastructure instead of further fossil fuel development – including LNG and shale gas. The letter was sent to all the Premiers and Members of Parliament of the Atlantic Provinces, plus Trudeau, Guilbeault and Wilkinson.

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Tribute to Dr. Eilish Cleary (1963-2024)

by Deborah Carr
President, New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance

There are few people in public service who hold my respect as much as Dr. Eilish Cleary, our former Chief Medical Health Officer. To say I’m shocked and saddened at her death is an understatement. We had some wonderful conversations. She was one of my heroes.

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New Brunswick does not need shale gas

Commentary by Jim Emberger; Telegraph Journal, Daily Gleaner, Times Transcript | March 11, 202

In a recent com­ment­ary in the Telegraph Journal, the Fraser Insti­tute’s Alex Whalen sug­ges­ted that the recent mer­ger of gas com­pany Ches­apeake Energy and SWN could be a sign that New Brun­swick should recon­sider its morator­ium on shale gas. He touted its eco­nomic poten­tial.

That same day Reu­ters’ news repor­ted: “Ches­apeake Energy announced plans to cut pro­duc­tion by 30 per cent in 2024 in response to a mar­ket that is “clearly over­sup­plied”. Ches­apeake, which will become the coun­try’s largest gas sup­plier after its mer­ger with South­west­ern Energy, is fol­low­ing oth­ers, includ­ing Com­stock, Antero and EQT, announ­cing cuts to drilling or pro­duc­tion plans.”

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Premier’s pursuit of shale gas is perverse

[February 2, 2024, NB Media Co-op Commentary by Jim Emberger]

Premier Blaine Higgs’ continuing desire to exploit shale gas and LNG can only be described as “perverse,” which the dictionary defines as “showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable, often in spite of the consequences.” Higgs referenced LNG development during his State of the Province address on Jan. 25.

“We have so many advantages with our direct access to the U.S. and international markets along with our rich natural resources including wind, minerals, water, forestry, and natural gas,” he said. “That’s where I believe we have a tremendous opportunity to punch above our weight and really impact global emissions.”

His obstinate, decade-long pursuit of shale gas, can reasonably be called obsessive. It begins with his continuing promotion of gas even after citizens voted out the Alward government, which ran on the issue.

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What will it take?

It has been a summer of: record hot temperatures (and a winter of record high temperatures in the global south), record droughts, record forest fires, record heat waves, record rainfall and flooding, ocean heat waves, and record hurricanes and storms.  These records have not been simply broken, but shattered, and occurred on every continent.

Once again we had water crises of major rivers and the Panama Canal being too low to support normal commercial traffic, or to cool nuclear plants. Glaciers melting in Switzerland, the Andes, the Himalayas and more, affected tourism, agriculture and caused floods and landslides.

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47 groups call on New Brunswick government to turn page on fracking, focus on building healthier, affordable, sustainable electricity system

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Le français suit]

May 8, 2023

Traditional territory of the Wabanaki Peoples/Fredericton — Yesterday, a solidarity statement was sent to every MLA in New Brunswick, calling for the government to immediately halt its drive to bring a shale gas industry to the province.

The statement, from the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, the Sierra Club Atlantic Region, and the New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance (NBASGA), was accompanied by the endorsements of 44 organizations from across the province, nation and world.

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No deal is a good deal to start shale gas

Jim Emberger | Commentary | TJ.news | 24 April 2023
(Short form ‘Letter to the Editor’ follows)

Premier Higgs likes to project the image of an experienced business leader, but his current effort to resurrect shale gas reveals that he more closely embodies his other reputation as a, “Data, my ass,” decision maker.

There is unequivocal data in the latest report from the International Panel on Climate Change, which shows that we cannot develop any new fossil fuel source if we hope to escape the dire consequences of a warming climate. This data was researched by virtually the entire global community of climate scientists and institutions.

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Solidarity Statement Calling for Government to Respect the Right to Free, Prior, Informed Consent for Fracking in New Brunswick

Premier Higgs is pressuring Wolastoqey and Mi’kmaw leaders in NB to allow fracking by threatening to withhold funding, and promising future, speculative funding derived from fracking in the province, and NBASGA is seeking signatories to a Solidarity Statement calling for the government of New Brunswick to cease attempts to coerce consent to fracking in traditional and unceded territories of the Wolastoqiyik and Mi’kmaq people in the province.

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