N.B. assigns deadline on LNG plants

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – Opponents of liquefied natural gas developments in Maine have given Prime Minister Stephen Harper a deadline to step in and stop the U.S. projects.

John Craig, mayor of St. Andrews, New Brunswick, said he’s confident Harper will act to protect the pristine waters of Passamaquoddy Bay from environmental threats posed by proposed LNG terminals and tanker traffic.

Craig said the town is giving Harper until April to clearly state whether tankers would be allowed to navigate Head Harbor Passage, an internal Canadian waterway, to deliver liquefied natural gas to terminals on the Maine coast.

“As a town, we have given Greg [Thompson] about 60 days from the day he was sworn in to have the prime minister say ‘no’ to LNG tankers officially,” Craig said late last week.

He says that when that period expires – on April 7 – the town and opponents of the LNG proposals in New Brunswick and Maine will ratchet up pressure through letter-writing campaigns, news conferences and public meetings.

Craig said that both Harper and local MP Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans’ Affairs, are on record as opposing LNG developments on Passamaquoddy Bay between New Brunswick and Maine.