New Brunswick to review fracking ban in face of trade war pressures, premier says

New Brunswick to review fracking ban in face of trade war pressures, premier says ELI RIDDER FREDERICTON THE CANADIAN PRESS PUBLISHED 5 HOURS AGO Open this photo in gallery: New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt flanked, centre, Indigenous Affairs Minister Keith Chiasson, left, and Natural Resources Minister John Herron address reporters in Fredericton on Wednesday. ELI RIDDER/THE CANADIAN PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. New Brunswick’s Liberal government is considering whether it should drop its long-standing ban on extracting the province’s large natural-gas reserves as it looks for ways to boost its economy and secure Canada’s energy independence. Premier Susan Holt announced a public review into the fracking ban on Wednesday, saying she’s looking “at all options” to support growth in her province amid Canada’s escalating trade war with the United States. “We need to double down as trade with our closest neighbour is thrown into question yet again. Now is the time to secure our autonomy and protect our sovereignty,” Ms. Holt said Wednesday. Former Liberal premier Brian Gallant placed a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in 2014 amid concerns from First Nations, scientists and advocates about the impacts that fracking had on the environment, including groundwater supplies. Opinion: Canada’s response to Donald Trump is a nation-defining moment Fracking is a process in which fluids or gas and chemicals are pumped underground at high pressure to fracture layers of shale rock to release trapped pockets of shale gas. Ms. Holt has opposed a return of widespread shale gas fracking her entire political career. But in recent months, she has touted New Brunswick as a key player in Canada’s goal of being an energy superpower – and questioned Wednesday whether the province can play that role if it relies on the U.S. for natural gas. “We see a global dynamic shift in relationships and energy, we see our allies in Germany and Poland who are looking for natural gas,” she said. “The only responsible thing to do at this point in time is to revisit the conditions of the moratorium to determine if this is something that can benefit New Brunswickers or not.” The Maritime province currently relies heavily on natural gas piped north from U.S. shale fields via the Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline, with costs that can fluctuate drastically from day to…