Angie Leonard, with the Government of New Brunswick (GNB) Natural Gas Group (NGG), our Nov. 14, 2011 guest speaker, has been with the GNB for three years and has been on the NGG for one year. The team consists of several groups, including Enterprise Fundy, the Finance Department, the Energy Department, the Natural Resources Department, to name a few. Some of the economic benefits include royalties, jobs, increased tax base and supply chain for existing businesses and workers. Challenges include social and environmental impacts, water, air and land-use change. One of the biggest challenges has been public acceptance...
Angie gave a very informative presentation, and many of the slides can be viewed in an information booklet she passed around. If you did not get a chance to review it, you could stop into Pearson’s to borrow a copy there.
Natural and shale gas exploration are not new industries in the province; existing since the 1990s. It is a fact-based industry, and because of the cost involved in the exploration, they make sure they have all the facts before they go into production. Angie stressed that the public should be educated and not rely solely upon hearsay or emotion.
New Brunswick is fortunate because these industries are not new, and the production is not going to be allowed to be rushed. Because the industry is not new, we know what needs to be researched, because we will not be rushed, we will have the time to research properly.