“The role of the warrior chief is to protect the land, the
water and the people. Our only
weapons are our drums, our sweetgrasses, our pipes, and our ceremonies. We are nonviolent.”
This description was how John Levi, warrior chief of the
Elsipogtog First Nation, explained his role to an emergency CPT exploratory
delegation to his New Brunswick Mi’kmaq community located north of Moncton.
The Elsipogtog First Nation and non-Aboriginal landowners in
Kent County, New Brunswick are fighting to stop shale gas exploration by SWN
Resources. They are concerned
fracking will lead to the depletion of groundwater and widespread water
contamination.
Fracking is a slang term for the process of digging deep wells
(up to two miles) into the earth and injecting water under high pressure laden
with industrial chemicals to fracture shale. The procedure releases otherwise inaccessible deposits of
natural gas.
Each frack uses millions of gallons of water laden with
hundreds of different chemicals.
Resource companies have not had to disclose the types of chemicals they
are using because of patent protections.
Scientists have identified volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as
benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene.
