Citizens and groups raised important questions today at the National Energy Board session on the Energy East Pipeline in Saint John, many of which went unanswered by TransCanada and Irving Oil.
Concerns raised today include:
- The impact of an oil spill in the Bay of Fundy, and what that would mean for the many different species that call the area home;
- The risk to the economic livelihoods of communities, especially fishermen on both shores of the Bay of Fundy and in the Gulf of Maine;
- The cumulative impact of the project, for example, on the increased burden of air pollution to Saint John citizens;
- The impact of the project on First Nations rights;
- How unfair it is that that there are no NEB sessions scheduled for Nova Scotia.
The NEB has organized a series of panel sessions taking place from August to December 2016, beginning with the session in Saint John. At these sessions, intervenors are limited to short presentations and have been asked to present high level questions they want answered and issues they want considered. Proponent representatives (spokespeople from Transcanada and Irving Oil) may respond. Intervenors and other participants may also submit further questions in writing.
A total of 337 applicants have been granted intervenor status, including the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. The Conservation Council will present tomorrow, Tuesday August 9.
Read a summary of the NEB panel sessions in Saint John here:
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NEB information sessions in Saint John:
- Day #1 at Energy East NEB sessions in Saint John: risks of major spills dominate discussion
- Day #2 of NEB panel sessions in Saint John: what does this mean for N.B.?
- Day #3 at Energy East NEB sessions in Saint John: NEB gets an earful from First Nations groups
NEB information sessions in Fredericton:
Our Lois Corbett answering questions during a quick break between panel sessions#nbpoli#neb
Follow @cc_nb for more pic.twitter.com/diEcx9OkUr— Conservation Council (@cc_nb) August 9, 2016