In New Brunswick, Canadian police have descended on an encampment of residents, including members of the Mi’kmaq First Nation, who have been holding a weeks-long blockade to prevent fracking — the process of blasting water and chemicals into shale rock to extract natural gas. The Texas-based company Southwestern Energy (SWN) wants to conduct exploration in the area, which the protesters believe would lead to fracking. Since the summer, SWN’s efforts have been repeatedly thwarted by blockades and other direct actions. For more than two weeks, area residents have shut down Route 134, which leads to an equipment compound used by the company. The protesters say fracking would pollute their drinking water.

Pamela Ross, New Brunswick resident: “It’s not worth risking our water. Even if they drill five wells and nothing happens, if they drill the sixth well and it could be a disaster, and it’s just — our water is not worth it, our land is not worth it, and the future generations deserve better.”

Suzanne Patles, Mi’kmaq Warrior Society: “This barricade that has been happening here at SWN resource compound has been costing the company an upwards of $60,000 per day, which is what they have stated in their court proceedings.”

In breaking news, early this morning, about 50 Royal Canadian Mounted Police descended on the blockade in an attempt to break it up. Sources at the scene say Molotov cocktails flew out of the encampment. At least one person has reportedly been arrested.