Fundy Baykeeper Matthew Abbott spoke with the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal about the National Energy Board’s decision to approve Spanish energy giant Repsol’s request for a 25-year licence to export liquefied natural gas from a proposed gas liquefaction terminal in Saint John.
The article was published on Friday, Sept, 11.
Abbott told reporters the export terminal will increase tanker traffic in the Bay of Fundy and emphasized the need for regulators to consider the cumulative impact of all proposals which would see an increase in tankers in the unique and highly-productive ecosystem of the Bay of Fundy-Gulf of Maine.
“One of our worries with a decision like that is it will likely increase LNG traffic through this decision, we’re likely to see an expansion of potash traffic through another process. Should Energy East be approved, we can see some pretty significant increases traffic from that export terminal,” Abbott said to media.
“So there’s all the sources that are considered piecemeal, but together they may have a pretty significant impact on whales and other species that rely on the bay.”
He said increased tanker traffic could also be harmful to fishing and tourism industries around the bay, which employ thousands of New Brunswickers.