FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's environment minister heads to Pennsylvania next week -- her third trip in recent months to examine the viability of shale gas development -- triggering accusations from the Opposition that the government is becoming too cosy with the industry.
Margaret-Ann Blaney said the trips have been a learning experience as the provincial government develops regulations that could allow for the lucrative extraction of natural gas trapped deep underground between layers of shale rock.
"We're still a year-and-a-half to two years out, so we've got some time to really look at the best practices," Blaney said Wednesday.
Blaney and other cabinet ministers have visited shale gas wells in Arkansas and British Columbia.
Opposition Leader Victor Boudreau said the government seems too industry-friendly in its choice of trips.
"They're not at all looking at jurisdictions that have made the decision to put in place a moratorium or to not allow it, whether it be Quebec or the state of New York or France," he said.
"If they are to study the issue, they need to study both sides of the issue to be able to truly come up with an educated decision on whether this is a viable option for the province."
Many New Brunswick residents and the city council in Moncton have raised concerns that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, used to extract the gas could harm water supplies.
The process involves pumping water and chemicals into a gas well to fracture the layers of shale rock and release the gas.
But Blaney said the government has begun a phased environmental impact assessment for the emerging industry, starting with tests of wells for water quality.
"We're testing wells well in advance of anything being done, which is good, because then you have a baseline," she said. "Arkansas didn't do that. It is one of the things we're doing because you learn."
Tom Alexander of Texas-based Southwestern Energy Company has said groundwater supplies are not affected when wells are drilled correctly with casings and properly cemented.
Southwestern has a licence to explore more than a million hectares in New Brunswick.
He said if New Brunswick reserves are as large as those in Arkansas, it could create thousands of jobs in the province.
