RCMP arrest 12 demonstrators at shale gas protest

Twelve people were arrested during shale gas protests on Route 126 in New Brunswick Friday.

RCMP confirmed that at about 2:30 p.m., five women and three men were arrested for blocking traffic on the road south of Rogersville. Shortly before 4 p.m., three more men and another woman were arrested, bringing Friday's total to a dozen.

One man threw himself in front of a seismic testing truck and was dragged away by police.

Police have lined up along the road to keep protesters off the highway. Police had shut the highway down, but traffic is moving again.

Premier David Alward promised Thursdayto improve communications surrounding the controversy.

Fracking controversy

SWN Resources Canada is conducting seismic testing in Kent County. The company is trying to determine if a shale gas industry is viable in the area. SWN says the seismic tests are harmless. If there is enough gas, SWN could extract it using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Hydraulic fracturing is a process where exploration companies inject a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the ground, creating cracks in shale rock formations to extract natural gas from areas that would otherwise go untapped.

Before Friday, there had been 21 people arrested during the anti-shale gas protests.