On May 17, the provincial government released documents containing new measures and recommendations on the oil and gas industry in New Brunswick. The documents, prepared by the Natural Gas Group, include 116 recommendations to ensure the environmentally responsible management of the industry, and are divided into short-term (104) and long-term (12). In addition, the government announced it will put in place a maximum fine of $1 million for breaches of the Oil and Natural Gas Act.
The Natural Gas group is now seeking feedback on the new measures and recommendations, and the public is invited to provide comments until July 18, 2012.Led by environmental expert Professor Louis LaPierre, the group will be conducting a citizen engagement tour across the province to collect feedback on the discussion paper. Stopping in selected communities across New Brunswick, they will offer a public open house as well as a public meeting, where citizens will be allowed to ask questions regarding exploration, development or other topics of interest.
The documents are available for download and can be found in the shale gas area of our public consultations page.
Here is a list of host communities for the tour:
● Wednesday, June 6 - Chipman
● Monday, June 11 - Stanley
● Monday, June 18 -Salisbury
● Tuesday, June 19 - Hillsborough
● Wednesday, June 20 - Grand Falls
● Thursday, June 21 - Bathurst
● Friday, June 22 - Bouctouche
● Monday, June 25 - Blackville
Feedback can also be made by contacting the Natural Gas Group at 1350 Regent Street, Room 150 Fredericton, NB E3C 1G6 Fax: (506) 453-3671 Email: naturalgas@gnb.ca
The Natural Gas Group is also open to meeting privately with groups or associations, who are asked to e-mail their requests.
