N.B. town reverses oil-search ban

Town council in Sackville, N.B., has reversed itsdecision to ban oil and gas exploration tests after learning that anexploration companywas alreadyset up outside Sackville with a horizontal drill.

PetroWorth Resources Inc.,licensed by the province to explore for shale oil and gas in New Brunswick, wants to expand into Sackville.

It made a presentation to town council in July and the town voted against any seismic testing due to environmental concerns. Seismic testing uses sound waves from explosives or special equipment to examinethe surrounding geography.

Coun. Margaret Tusz-King said the map the company showed included areas over the town's watershed.

Water testing not mandatory

BecausePetroWorth would not be on town property, well testing to compare water quality before and after the drilling was not mandatory, which would have made it harder to prove any changes were due tothe company'sseismic work.

Mayor Pat Estabrooks said once councillors learned that, they voted 7-1 to overturn the ban.

"We made the best decision with as much information as we possibly could receive on this," she said. "And that was our reason for changing. We wanted to ensure that our community was protected."

Now that PetroWorth is allowed in Sackville, council has put a number of rules in place for the company, including protecting the existing water systems.

Officials from PetroWorth and the province could not be immediately reached for comment.