-3- 
     
    
   
   
    
     There were many question marks when it came to discussing possible 
     
     repercussions on the environment but preliminary studies indicated 
     
     that tidal fluctuations would be affected as far south as Boston. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Mr. Owen Washburn from Environment New Brunswick explained the 
     
     New Brunswick government's role in this project. All of the environ— 
     
     mental impact assessment studies must be approved by his Department. 
     
     There will be the usual problem of scracely enough time to do much of 
     
     a detailed environmental impact study before major construction begins. 
     
     Potential sites have already been narrowed down to seven without 
     
     environmental considerations. Environment New Brunswick will not be 
     
     gathering its own data on the project, but merely assessing data sub- 
     
     mitted by New Brunswick power commission, hardly an unbiased source! 
     
    
   
   
    
     The final speaker was Andrew McKillop from the P.E.I. Institute 
     
     of Man and Resources. He maintained that conservative use of resources 
     
     today was the best short term energy alternative (e.g., insulating 
     
     houses, better gas mileage, more efficient lighting). This would not 
     
     eliminate the need to search for further energy sources but at least 
     
     would allow more time to investigate various alternatives. He dis- 
     
     cussed alternative sources of heating and lighting which included 
     
     windmills, wood burning generators and solar houses - one of which 
     
     used beer cans as a heat conductant. 
     
    
   
   
    
     During the conference, there was ample time for the audience 
     
     to voice their opinions. The audience generally felt that we should 
     
     proceed carefully and slowly with a project of this magnitude which 
     
     has so many unknowns and so many potential repercussions to fishery 
     
     concerns, wildlife, especially birds, and socio—economic concerns 
     
     in the area of proposed construction. Many expressed fear; that such 
     
     a development would turn into another Point Lepreau or James Bay 
     
     where energy is to be produced primarily for export for profit. 
     
     Others pointed out that if equal amounts of money were available 
     
     for research into other energy alternatives such as wind or solar 
     
     power, then an economically and environmentally feasible method of 
     
     producing energy would likely evolve. It was generally felt that a 
     
     number of small scale productions serving local regions would be 
     
     preferable to one large one, and environmental problems would probably 
     
     be fewer and less serious. Several felt that such projects should 
     
     ’only be designed to produce energy for local use. The Fundy tidal 
     
     flats are the major refuelling areas in the Maritimes for many shore 
     
     birds, some of which must fly as far as South America. Even a small 
     
     increase in tide level would reduce significantly available feeding 
     
     areas for these migrants. 
     
    
   
   
    
     I went to this conference with no firm opinion on the proposed 
     
     Fundy Tidal Power Project. After two days of discussion, I found 
     
     myself still undecided as to the wisdom of embarking on such a project. 
     
     My synopsis is thus: New Brunswick cannot continue to increase its 
     
     energy use for much longer without additional sources of energy pro- 
     
     duction. The Bay of Fundy has very large tidal fluctuations which, 
     
     if harnessed could be considered a renewable resource. Environmental 
     
     impact is often directly related to the magnitude of the development 
     
     structures as well as to the care taken to reducing environmental 
     
     damage. As to environmental impact, there are a lot of unknowns in 
     
     terms of environmental modifications (e.g., flooding, silting) and 
     
     the subsequent effects on habitat, wildlife, marine and estuarine 
     
     industries, life-styles of people around these developmentsand 
     
     aesthetic considerations. I feel also that more money and research 
     
     should be directed towards small scale energy production schemes 
     
     utilizing the natural attributes of the area in question. Governments 
     
     and Power Commissions should actively embark on a program to educate 
     
     the public towards a "conserver society" by providing financial 
     
     incentives and literature on energy conservation. Slogans like "Live 
     
     better electrically" should be discouraged. Small scale projects 
     
     would reduce environmental problems and eliminate long distance tran- 
     
     sfer of electrical power, and a conservation conscious society would 
     
     at least hold in check the ever increasing demand for energy.