Fracking Criticism

FRACKING AND ITS CRITICISM Since the mid-80s, The First Nations and their leaders have raised numerous concerns about the failure of the government and industries in Canada to properly consult them before developing any of their lands. Fracking is a technique used in stimulating the fracturing of rocks through the use of pressurized liquid. The fluid used comprises of hot water, sand, and proppants that are thickened using appropriate agents. The fluid enters the deep-rock and makes it possible to have natural gas, petroleum and brine flow up. If the pressure is removed, the grains in the proppants are capable of keeping the fractures while open.Universally, fracking and the construction of pipelines consistently have a negative impact on

This process was proposed as the Shale-Gas project in 2013 by SWN Canada. In one of the exploration exercises, workers conducting a 2D Seismic Imaging were interrupted by residents who came to protest against the screening of natural gas deposits. Elsipogtog and its neighbors were determined to obstruct the Shale-Gas project. The protestors made their concerns known through the use of the social media, protests and other platforms. The residents took it upon themselves to block access routes to their land before the workers could begin any sort of work on the site. The Royal Canadian Mount Police had to look into several complaints caused by protests against fracking in New Brunswick in 2013. On the 17th of October 2013, the RCMP forced their way into a Mi’kmaq warrior camp and this resulted in a violent collision between the First Nations people and the police. As a result, there were reports of several people being injured, arrested, and some RCMP cars were set ablaze. This made major headlines in the news and

Originally, according to provincial laws, fracking for oil and gas is not usually permitted on reserve lands. This was later changed and fracking became permitted on reserved lands. Unlike other provincial lands, a federal decision has to be made before fracking can be done on reserve lands, this automatically triggers an environmental assessment. The assessment process requires consultation with the affected First Nation chiefs and would consider any environmental changes, as well as any effect, which a negative change in the environment may have on several factors. These include health, social, economic, physical, cultural, current use of lands for resources mainly for traditional purposes according to a part of the legislature, which is known as the First Nations Land Management. This legislature recognizes the right for First Nations to develop interests, grant licenses, manage the natural resources and also receive revenue. It is no news that this process is not particularly suited for the big oil companies that are involved in fracking practices (Constance 2014). Another reserve legislation is the First Nations Oil and Gas and Moneys Management Act. It gives the first nations right to directly manage oil and gas resources and revenues on their land. This means that they have the ability to oust federal control (Constance 2014). The structure of these legislatures and treaties make it difficult for