Juliette Bulmer addressing Tantramar council in a packed chamber

A member of the group Stop the Tantramar Gas Plant warned town council Tuesday that it will soon be too late to stop a big American company from building a 500 MW gas/diesel generating plant in the wilderness near Centre Village.

“The clock is ticking on the future of Tantramar,” Juliette Bulmer told council as she pointed to a big clock her group had set up in the council chamber.

“I have heard from a very reliable source that the day after tomorrow,” she said, “on Thursday, the trucks will start rolling.”

Bulmer added that those trucks would probably be hauling rocks and shale to build up the one kilometre road that PROENERGY, a company with headquarters in Sedalia, Missouri, has already built from Rte. 940 to the site of the proposed gas plant.

She said if construction starts on Thursday, the company could be violating at least three of the 45 conditions the province imposed when it issued its official Determination approving the gas plant on August 28th.

“You need to monitor these conditions aggressively, Bulmer told council, “and you need to halt this project the second a single condition is violated,” she added, pointing to a big display board with the three conditions printed on it.

“Look at condition number eight,” she said:
“The province is asking for a strict reporting schedule, so the public is kept aware of construction activities and timelines,” Bulmer said.

She suggested that if construction does start on Thursday, PROENERGY would be violating the requirement to notify the public.

Duty to protect the town

She pointed to another condition that requires the company to work with the Tantramar Fire Department on emergency and fire safety plans before the project begins and one that requires PROENERGY to obtain provincial approval under the Clean Air Act at least 90 days before it starts construction.

“These conditions exist because this plant is hazardous to our health, to our environment and to our future,” Bulmer said.

“If the provincial government is putting up roadblocks before this plant is ever built and operating, why are you rolling out the red carpet?” she asked, referring to Mayor Wiggins-Colwell’s statement in August that town council’s role is to deal with matters that fall under its jurisdiction and leave regulation of the gas plant to provincial and federal authorities.

“Good Lord, with all due respect, jurisdiction does not absolve you of the duty to protect your town,” Bulmer said.

“No one is asking the council to draft provincial regulations,” she added.  “We’re asking you to enforce the ones that exist.”

CCAC recommendations

Bulmer pointed out that council’s own climate change advisory committee (CCAC) had urged the town to press PROENERGY to meet higher environmental standards and to push for the right to review, and in some cases, approve the company’s plans for monitoring such things as air and water quality.

Deputy Mayor Josh Goguen

Deputy Mayor Josh Goguen said he had drafted a motion calling on council to accept the CCAC’s recommendations, but that under normal procedures, his motion could not be discussed and voted on until the next regular meeting in December.

“What’s most frustrating to me is the fact that we’re not getting the communication,” Goguen said.

“You’re going to ram this down our throats, but then, [you should] tell us what you’re doing,” he added, referring to PROENERGY and its partner NB Power.

CAO Jennifer Borne said that, at the moment, there is no one on the town staff who has been assigned to watch for any potential violations of the conditions imposed on PROENERGY.

But she added that if council were to pass Goguen’s motion accepting the CCAC recommendations, someone could be assigned to do it.

Councillor Allison Butcher wondered if Goguen’s motion could be brought forward immediately instead of waiting until next month. She noted, however, that would require unanimous consent.

“I do have the motion all drawn up, so it is ready to go,” Goguen said, but later in the meeting when he was set to introduce it, Councillor Alyssa Greene denied unanimous consent saying she needed more time to consider it.

Meantime, Goguen posted a note on Facebook today saying he had e-mailed NB Power VP Brad Coady to ask if construction was set to begin on Thursday.

Coady responded that was not his understanding and that PROENERGY is still working on obtaining construction permits and talking with various communities including First Nations about the project.

“Rest assured that we will keep the community updated with plans as we understand them,” his e-mail said.

Members of Stop the Tantramar Gas Plant with the clock they displayed in the council chamber. L-R: Juliette Bulmer, Phyllis Wheaton, Andy Mills, Terry Jones, Merlin Homer. Photo: Theodore Ramharack/CHMA

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