Que. shale gas hearings off to civilized start

Environmental review hearings into shale gas development are underway in Quebec, with crowds showing more restraint and patience than seen in previous meetings held on the issue.

More than 200 people turned out in Saint-Hyacinthe on Monday night to take part in the first in a series of public hearings by Quebec's Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE).

The crowd sat quietly as representatives of the oil and gas industry explained how they wants to drill through the shale bedrock that sits far beneath Quebec's fertile farmland, to extract the natural gas trapped below.

The calm tone was a remarkable contrast to a meeting held in the community last week, in which police had to intervene as tensions spiralled out of control.

'We want honest, in-depth answers.' —Gerard Montpetit, shale gas activist

Dominique Champagne, who lives near a drilling site, hoped the hearings would ease the growing anxiety of Quebecers.

"The industry is in a hurry to go back to cash their investments," said Champagne. "We know the government is going for economic development, and I'm not against that. I just find that they are speeding (through) the process over the citizens' concerns."

Earlier this year, the government ordered the BAPE to put the shale gas industry under the microscope, and report back with recommendations on how to develop the industry.

The report is expected in February 2011.

Gérard Montpetit, who organized an environmental protection committee in the Saint-Hyacinthe area, had little confidence in the BAPE process.

"We have the feeling this is all a sham. We want honest, in-depth answers," said Montpetit.

Developers explain how drilling works

The Quebec government and gas companies are eager to develop a shale gas industry in Quebec. The companies have already started exploratory drilling in a handful of sites along the St. Lawrence Valley.

Hope Deveau-Henderson, a representative from the Quebec Oil and Gas Association, encouraged skeptics to keep an open mind during the hearings.

"The representatives from the industry — and the experts on climate change and air quality — will demonstrate that greenhouse gases can be reduced by developing this resource, the cleanest burning fossil fuel," said Deveau-Henderson.

The BAPE hearings continue Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. They will resume Oct. 12 through 14 and again in November.

They are being held at the Hôtel des Seigneurs in Saint-Hyacinthe, and are available to watch live online at the BAPE website.