by Peter Churcher
The commentary written and published in the TJ News on January 25th contained a number of inaccurate and misleading statements regarding the development of natural gas in our province. In order to foster an open and informed discussion on whether this resource will be a benefit to our province (beyond the money and jobs that it would generate for our economy) the facts must be presented accurately.
The author contends that it is “illegal” to drill for natural gas on the 32 licenses that SWN owns. This is not correct. Under the “license to search” that SWN currently holds, drilling is a permitted practice. What is not currently permitted by law is to hydraulically stimulate any wells that are drilled in these areas.
The author’s second contention is that natural gas will not help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is a fossil fuel and as such when burned will produce carbon dioxide. That being said, if this fuel replaces coal currently used to generate electricity in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and in many other parts of the world emissions can be reduced by 50% or more. Many jurisdictions around the world, including Europe, are forecasting increasing use of liquified natural gas (LNG) past 2040 for this very purpose.
The author contends that the extraction of natural gas is energy intensive and uses other critical resources, such as fresh water. Once the wells are drilled and placed on production the natural pressure underground allows for the gas to flow to surface where the water is removed and the gas is injected into a pipeline to take it to market. This industry is far less energy intensive than oil refining, cement and many other industries. As for water usage, not all hydraulic stimulations are the same. A properly designed “frack” fluid can not only reduce the amount of water needed, but can also increase the amount that can be recycled and reused a number of times. In fact, the last hydraulic stimulations done in our province didn’t even use water. They used gelled propane.
With regards to the authors claim that the use of natural gas is not legitimate, it is my experience that this resource can be developed responsibly without harming the local environment, while at the same time provide another tool to ensure energy security for all Atlantic Canadians. Whether or not this will happen will require a real partnership with First Nations and other stakeholders to become a reality.