I have a calendar on my desk with a big red circle around today’s date.
Why? Because exactly one year ago today you and I celebrated the protection of our drinking water, the health of our freshwater rivers, lakes and streams, and the power of collective action as the provincial government announced a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in New Brunswick.
What a day it was! I couldn’t stop smiling then, and I’m still smiling today.
I’ll let you in on a little secret — at times over the past 12 months, I would take myself back to that day. After four years of travelling from community to community talking about the risks, of working with allied groups, First Nations, and neighbours whose passion and determination fueled my own, of researching, engaging, and mobilizing New Brunswickers, it’s been a fond memory to hold onto.
Winning the moratorium was a fantastic moment. And one that you helped make happen.
Throughout the whole campaign, your support to the Conservation Council helped us keep the pressure we needed on the provincial government, first to ban fracking to protect our water, and then making sure it stays that way so our communities and drinking water remain safe. After all, private donations are our major source of core funding and your contributions helped protect our independent voice.
I trust you know, we haven’t stopped working on this file just because the moratorium was won.
Over the past year, we worked hard to ensure decision-makers had the latest and best scientific evidence surrounding the risks fracking poses to our communities and freshwater system.
We met with the commission tasked with reviewing the moratorium conditions. We produced a series of briefing notes for officials about the impact of fracking to our freshwater and drinking water. We wrote letters to the editor and submitted commentaries in the papers to counter the ill-advised opinions of those who promoted activities that would threaten our most precious resource — water.
When new reports came out — like the EPA’s draft study into the relationship between fracking and drinking water — we explained what the experts were really trying to tell us without the industry’s spin. When new evidence arose — like the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission’s investigation proving fracking caused a 4.4-magnitude earthquake in northern B.C. — we made sure decision-makers, and New Brunswickers, heard about it.
You can expect the same, and — with your support — even more in 2016.
With the ink still drying on a new, first-ever global agreement on climate change action following the UN summit in Paris earlier this month, the momentum has never been stronger for a speedy transition to the renewable energy future. But as you well know, the voice of industry is a strong one in New Brunswick, and we will have to work harder now than ever to ensure the call for change is heard loud and clear by decision-makers in our province.
Just as we count on you to stay an independent force for healthy communities and the environment, you can count on us to work to ensure that government imposes strong environmental laws and policies that protect water quality for generations to come.
Thank you for your generous support! Wishing you and your family a happy holiday season,
Stephanie Merrill
Director, Freshwater Protection program
PS — Don’t forget that CCNB is a registered charity, so your donation today will not only help make our province a better place to live, but you’ll also receive a tax receipt just in time to
meet that year-end deadline!
PPS — If you prefer, consider becoming one of our monthly donors to the Conservation Council. It’s easy: just select the ‘monthly’ tab under the ‘Donation Amount’ section on our Donate Page, or call us (506-458-8747) and we’ll set it up for you. With monthly giving, you can ‘set it and forget it’ — but we sure won’t! Your smaller, monthly donation goes a long way for our work to protect freshwater in New Brunswick.