Just when we think that our province’s drinking water is safe from fracking, a single ‘frivolous’ comment by Premier Higgs forces our Executive Director to fire back. Read her response to Higgs’ comments below.
Not all news, however, was bleak. Dr. Louise Comeau was thrilled to voice her support for the Burchill Wind Project, a partnership between Neqotkuk First Nation, Saint John Energy and Natural Forces Development.
Check out the links below to read or listen to our team members’ analysis and commentary on the latest environmental news in N.B.
June 8 | New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal: Louise Comeau on Canada’s first-ever carbon offset system — Dr. Comeau criticizes Canada’s recently announced carbon offset system that will allow municipalities and businesses to buy and sell carbon credits equal to the amount of GHG emissions reduced, saying the regulation allows emissions-intensive industries to delay innovating. Rather than greenwash gas production, Dr. Comeau says that the federal government should focus on increasing our province’s natural capacity to store carbon and reducing our province’s emissions with industry-targeted regulations.
May 23 | Acadie Nouvelle: Lois Corbett on Premier Higgs’ ‘frivolous’ comment about lifting New Brunswick’s moratorium on shale gas — Our Executive Director, Lois Corbett, responded to Premier Higgs ‘frivolous’ comment by saying that any kind of development in the gas sector “isn’t worth it” given the urgent action still required on climate change and the still very real threat shale gas extraction poses to our drinking water supplies. Corbett also said the risks posed by these extraction techniques is what made New Brunswickers say no to shale gas in the first place, and that there are still no policies or mechanisms in place to adequately protect drinking water.
May 18 | Global News: Dr. Louise Comeau on the Burchill Wind Project — Dr. Comeau talks about the concept of community benefit and partnership as being absolutely fundamental to getting successful projects like wind energy off the ground. Having said that, Dr. Comeau called on the provincial government to contribute more in the future and for corporations like NB Power to take the lead in developing renewable energy projects.
May 16 | CBC New Brunswick: Dr. Louise Comeau on the Burchill Wind Project — Dr. Comeau applauded the proponents of the Burchill Wind Project for leading the charge on community-based renewable energy development in N.B.