The Exploration, Mining, and Petroleum New Brunswick Conference kicked off Sunday in Fredericton, but one of the conference’s top sponsors is a no-show this year.
In years past SWN Resources, a company at the forefront of shale gas exploration in the province, has helped make the conference happen.
Stephanie Merril of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick says the company’s absence may be telling, but isn’t too surprising.
She believes that, with a temporary moratorium on fracking already in place, the New Brunswick government will move to make it long-term, which would likely stop further exploration.
“It just makes sense,” says Merril. “They’re not interested in putting energy into work that won’t be proceeding in the near future.”
SWN Resources Canada did not respond to CTV News’ requests for an interview.
The Department of Energy and Mines would not comment directly on SWN’s absence, although Minister Don Arseneault said his focus was on the companies that did show up, including Halifax-based Corridor Resources and its new CEO and President Steve Moran.
“They made their own choices, we’re here to do more work,” says Moran.
Corridor has fracked natural gas wells at two New Brunswick sites, supplying natural gas to the nearby Potash Corp. mine.
“That’s the only place they get their gas from, our joint partnership together,” says Moran.
Corridor holds drilling licenses to continue with shale gas exploration. It remains unclear as to how a moratorium factors into that exploration.
In a published interview last week, Arseneault said a possible regional moratorium isn’t off the table.
“They had a mandate to study the issue and we expect that they’re going to follow through on some degree of that mandate. They seem very willing to discuss everything with us,” says Moran.
The government has not indicated when it will release its final position on fracking.
The conference wraps up Tuesday.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Nick Moore
