BECANCOUR - More than 200 people packed an inn in Becancour on Tuesday night to air their concerns at the first of three public meetings into shale gas explorations in the province.
The city, near Trois Rivieres, is one of three regions in Quebec to hold meetings to hear from energy experts, residents and environmentalists.
Becancour sits on the Utica shale, a large shale deposit, where exploratory digging has begun as several companies have shown interest in mining for shale gas, a natural gas found in shale deposits.
Last month, the Quebec government announced it will allow exploratory drilling for shale gas, even as an environmental commission studies the pros and cons of the industry.
Environmental groups are concerned shale gas use will increase greenhouse gas emissions in the province, and some argue the process used to extract the gas can contaminate ground water.
A long lineup of Becancour residents waited Tuesday to ask questions to the Quebec Oil and Gas Association, headed by former Hydro Quebec chairman Andre Caille,
Despite his attempts to answer concerns about possible contamination of water or gas leaks, some residents like Susan Ward said they did not feel reassured.
"It's hard to trust the people because we had all kinds of activity happening last year on our road. At the end of it there was a well, and we didn't even know what it was (for)," she said.
Resident Claude Gregoire said he wasn't satisfied with the meeting Tuesday night.
"They gave a first-grade level presentation and we're beyond that. We've been beyond that for quite a while," he said.
Shale gas could promote revenues and create jobs in Quebec, a province which currently spends billions annually on imported gas.
Estimates on the numbers of jobs that may be created have ranged from a few thousand to 10,000, said CTV's Caroline van Vlaardingen, who attended the meeting in Becancour.
Nicolet resident Bruno Regis said he likes the idea of Quebec exploiting its own natural gas
"We're sending our money out west, so if we can keep it in Quebec, that's okay by me," he said.
Environmentalists call for moratorium on exploration
Environmentalists with the group Equiterre said the group is not opposed to natural gas, but argues there are so far too many unanswered questions. It is asking for a moratorium on exploration until further studies are made.
"We need to give the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement the appropriate means and enough time to study this question thoroughly so that we know what we're getting into. Frankly, right now it's unclear," said Steven Guilbeault, deputy director of Equiterre.
