'One-man environmental-wrecking machine': Premier's fracking push slammed

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Premier Blaine Higgs’s ongoing push to resume fracking in New Brunswick has attracted sharp criticism from Indigenous leaders and the two opposition parties, with the Liberals accusing him of living in the past and the Greens daring him to make it an election issue.

Sitansisk (St. Mary’s) First Nation Chief Allan Polchies says Higgs is a “one-man environmental-wrecking machine” who’s recycling “the same old song and dance” and needs to be voted out of office. 

And Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Inc. (MTI), which represents the province’s eight Mi’kmaq First Nations, say its opposition to the idea hasn’t changed, and that the government hasn’t formally spoken to its leaders about the idea for more than a year.

During the State of the Province address last week, Higgs again pushed the idea that exporting liquified natural gas (LNG) to Europe could be an economic saviour for the province, and help fund the transition to a green economy.

“We have so many advantages with our direct access to the U.S. and international markets, along with our rich natural resources including wind, minerals, water, forestry and natural gas. That’s where I believe we have tremendous opportunity to punch above our weight and really impact global emissions,” he said.

Referencing the Russia-Ukraine war, Higgs also claimed that Canada is fighting “from both sides” because it isn’t exporting energy to Europe, which would help end the continent’s reliance on Russian energy.

But that shift is already well underway, and several European countries have made deals for LNG that dramatically lowered their reliance on Russia. That’s the shift that Higgs wants to capitalize on.

Time, however, appears to be short – another point Higgs has repeatedly made. He recognizes Europe is using LNG as a temporary transition fuel to a green economy.

During his speech, Higgs repeatedly referenced the need to have First Nations buy-in on the development of natural resources.

But it appears the opposition to the idea hasn’t changed.

“There have been no formal conversations between the provincial government and MTI around natural gas development in over a year. As of now, the chiefs still have the same concerns,” MTI spokesperson Jennifer Coleman said in an email.

In a statement, Polchies went much further.

“The state of the province under Higgs is dismal. As First Nations’ leaders, we have seen no marked improvement from this premier. He has not changed his tune from the same old song and dance – frack, frack, frack,” he said. 

Higgs’s comments also attracted scorn from Liberal Leader Susan Holt and Green party Leader David Coon.

“We think Higgs is stuck in the past,” Holt said.

“New Brunswickers and the industry have moved on and are focused on future solutions, and Higgs is looking backwards, chasing a pipeline dream. We don’t see a financial model where industry is there to invest, and can do so quickly, so the returns can benefit New Brunswickers.

“Instead, we’ve been calling for (the government) to embrace the green technologies that Europe and other parts of the world are moving toward.”

Coon was equally damning, and noted that the Progressive Conservatives lost the 2014 election while pushing for fracking.

“He’s supporting ever-expanding fossil fuel development – we’re talking about fossil gas – in what amounts to a willful denial of the urgency of the climate crisis,” Coon said.

“If he wants to run an election on developing shale gas and exporting it to Europe … (former PC premier) David Alward ran an election on fossil gas development, and that resulted in the election of the first Green MLA in New Brunswick.

“If this is his election campaign, perhaps it’s going to result in the election of the first Green government in New Brunswick.”

Higgs is “aligning himself with Donald Trump … and the Republican Party,” Coon said, adding that natural gas “is a bridge to nowhere.”

‘Social license’

In December 2014, the Liberal government announced a moratorium on fracking, fulfilling a campaign promise.

Besides one exemption for a small area in the Sussex region quietly introduced by the Higgs government in 2019, the moratorium stands.

When the ban was introduced, then-premier Brian Gallant laid out five conditions to be met before moratorium could be lifted.

They were:

• “A social license in place;
• “Clear and credible information about the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on our health, environment and water, allowing us to develop country-leading regulatory regime with sufficient enforcement capabilities;
• “A plan that mitigates the impacts on our public infrastructure and that addresses issues such as waste water disposal;
• “A process in place to respect our obligations under the duty to consult with First Nations,” and;
• “A mechanism in place to ensure that benefits are maximized for New Brunswickers, including the development of a proper royalty structure.”

According a press release accompanying the announcement, getting a “social license” would require “extensive consultation and engagement exercises with New Brunswickers in order to achieve social acceptance.”

Asked what he thinks “social license” means in that context, Coon said he doesn’t understand it.

“Really, when it comes down to it, I don’t know how you test it. You’d have to ask Liberals,” he said.

Holt agreed that in theory, meeting the “social license” test that the Liberals introduced could be as simple as holding some meetings, inviting the public to attend, and then moving on.

But then she quickly pivoted back to Higgs, accusing him of “pushing his own personal agenda on this.”