Natural gas was only discovered beneath the shores of Canada’s scenic Saint Lawrence seaway two years ago, but already locals fear a “gold rush” by energy companies thirsting to drill.
At a recent town hall meeting to unveil their natural gas development plans, industry representatives were heckled by an angry mob concerned mostly for the environment.
“Your objective ... is money,” the crowd cried.
“Companies are doing like people did during the gold rush in the 1850s in California. They arrive and say ‘We’re home,’” Gerard Montpetit said.
He is one of the 600 residents of Saint Hyacinthe and surrounding communities, 50km east of Montreal, who attended the meeting meant to assuage fears.
For weeks, the elderly pensioner has traveled across the province to participate in debates on whether to allow the industry to dig wells in Canada’s “Beautiful Province” in search of a wealth of natural gas believed hidden beneath the ground.
At the Saint Hyacinthe meeting, he was among the majority opposed to natural gas exploration in the province, railing against a campaign of “disinformation” directed at the people of Quebec Province.
The latest poll showed only 20 percent of the people of Quebec support developing the resource.
Some are calling for the industry to be nationalized, while others want it stopped. Several denounced the secrecy surrounding the issue, and all point to the environmental risks, citing an example in the US state of Pennsylvania, where locals accused the natural gas industry of polluting ground water.
Barely two years ago, shale natural gas was discovered in the clay 2,000m beneath the shores of the Saint Lawrence seaway between Montreal and Quebec City.
This summer, many in the valley began to notice strange reddish flames in the sky above, coupled with loud detonations: Natural gas exploration had begun pinpointing possible viable well locations. Gas extraction would soon follow.
More than 150 prospecting licenses have been issued, including in the city of Montreal itself. About 20 exploration wells have so far been dug within 100m of a school, behind a farm, even in a corn field.
Despite fierce opposition, exploration drilling is likely to continue for the time being.
The Quebec government has ordered an investigation into possible environmental risks of natural gas extraction, but also expressed strong support for development of a local hydrocarbon industry.
Producers are just waiting for regulatory permission to get it off the ground.
Canbriam Energy chief executive Paul Myers said Quebec could see peak production in about 10 years. His company has already spent US$40 million to determine if the Quebec deposits hold sufficient quantities to be economically viable.
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