Man charged for theft of seismic testing gear

A Durham Bridge man has been arrested and charged with theft in connection with the vandalism of equipment being used by Southwestern Resources Canada in seismic testing, according to the RCMP.

The man is accused of stealing geophone equipment that was being used by SWN Resources. The man was arrested on Aug. 18.

He is scheduled to appear in Fredericton Provincial Court at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.

The news of the arrest comes days after SWN Resources announced it was halting its seismic testing in New Brunswick.

SWN Resources had been scheduled to conduct three to four more weeks of seismic testing in the province.

Despite its decision to cancel its seismic testing, the company is expected to resume testing next year.

SWN Resources has been testing as a prelude to possibly using hydro-fracking to extract natural gas embedded in shale.

This summer has seen frequent protests against SWN's work in New Brunswick amid concerns about hydro-fracking.

Hydro-fracking uses water mixed with chemicals and sand and allows companies to access natural gas deposits. However, the protesters are concerned the process will ruin the water supply.