This isn’t a form letter that I just signed. These are my words. I hope they will mean something to someone.
To be clear, this is me writing as a concerned citizen and has nothing whatsoever to do with my line of work.
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Minister Stultz,
This is my first time writing to you as my MLA. I don’t write often, but when I do, it is because of something that is very important to me and my family.
I see that there will be a free vote on shale gas exploration coming up soon. I have been watching this particular issue closely, as there is much at stake.
While I recognize this may seem like an easy win for government revenues in the short to medium-term, I remain very skeptical about the techniques used to extract this oil from our land.
This decision will undoubtedly have repercussions for generations to come. It is so vitally important that it not be clouded by money, because health and welfare simply cannot be bought. Environmental ‘accidents’ cannot be undone.
If all of the evidence out there pointed to hydro-fracturing being a safe, sound practice with virtually no ill-effects, then I would feel much more at ease seeing this come to New Brunswick. That is unfortunately not the case. We are hearing from dozens of individuals who have had their lives virtually destroyed by this business practice. Statistically speaking, it will not be ‘if’ this would ever happen here, but ‘when’. I can’t, in good conscience, accept that level of risk.
Watching the horror of the deadly earthquakes and subsequent tsunami in Japan earlier this year was devastating. Seeing the fallout from the Fukushima Nuclear Plant was in some ways even more heartbreaking – because it was preventable. Let’s not pave the way for a regretable legacy for New Brunswick.
I know this is a particularly difficult vote, so I urge you to follow your heart and vote in a way that will put the health and safety of New Brunswickers above all else. Anything less is a disaster-in-waiting for future generations. I want better for my children.
Thank you for reading my comments.
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She is quite hilarious as you will see in some of the videos when I get them loaded.