SWN Resources plans for seismic testing in Kent County

SWN Resources Canada officials will be meeting with Kent County mayors on Tuesday to discuss the companys plans for seismic testing this summer in the region.

The company says it intends to move forward with seismic exploration across 210 kilometres of eastern New Brunswick.

The testing will happen only in Kent County and it is expected to be wrapped up by the end of summer.

Officials from St. Louis-de-Kent say they're hoping for more details on what's involved and where the exploration will take place.

Dallas McQuarrie, a St. Ignace resident, said he's concerned about SWN's return to the area.

"People have been preparing to meet them and invite them to leave and resist them if they continue to come where they are not welcome," McQuarrie said.

Earlier in May, a civil disobedience workshop was held in Kent County to offer ideas on how to peacefully oppose shale gas exploration.

Resident hotline set up

The Upriver Environment Watch of Kent County has set up a hotline and a website, inviting people to call, email or post whenever they see shale gas exploration happening.

The group wants the oil and gas companies to know that when they show up to do seismic testing, residents will be watching, said Ann Pohl.

"We have a pretty good idea where they're going because they've had to go around and ask the property owners for water tests and some have agreed and some haven't," she said.

"There are just too many risks and too many unknowns, so we're just continuing on to be prepared to meet the frackers."

SWN officials declined to do an interview with CBC News on Monday.

But Sheri Somerville, a natural gas adviser with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, says the companies are trying to gain the trust of residents.

'We're trying to get as much factual information out there as possible so that we can build trust and understanding about what we're doing.' Sheri Somerville, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers

"There's much misinformation out there and that we're trying to get as much factual information out there as possible so that we can build trust and understanding about what we're doing," she said.

In April, a SWN official said the company will only know in a few years if there is a viable shale gas industry in New Brunswick.

SWN has the rights to explore about 1.1 million hectares of the 1.4 million the province has issued licences for, according to information released by the provincial government in 2012.

The majority of the companys licences stretch from southwestern New Brunswick and then across the province to Richibucto.

The shale gas file has proved to be a delicate one for the New Brunswick government to handle.

Premier David Alward has faced two years of protests against developing the shale gas industry and in particular, the use of the contentious practice of hydraulic fracturing or hydro-fracking.

But Alward has said the shale gas industry could provide new jobs for the province, which is dealing with double-digit unemployment levels and a large budget deficit.

The Alward government announced a series of regulatory changes earlier this year intended to tighten the rules governing the shale gas industry.

Hydro-fracking 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.

Opponents are concerned the controversial process will ruin the water supply and damage the surrounding environment.

New Brunswicks chief medical officer of health has said she hopes to play a role in regulating any shale gas industry.

Dr. Eilish Cleary called for health impact assessments of every shale gas project, as well as a broader look at the health effect of the industry with ongoing monitoring to detect any adverse impacts in a report she submitted to provincial government last fall.