Government of New Brunswick
Image of natural gas rig

New Brunswick is one of the oldest ‘oil provinces’ in the world. One of the first oil wells in North America was drilled in 1859 about 15 km southeast of Moncton on the east side of the Petitcodiac River. The well, along with three others, were drilled by H. C. Tweedal, a refiner from Pittsburgh. The four shallow wells produced a small quantity of oil (Hea, 1974). The oil wells put down in the Dover area were in Lower Carboniferous lacustrine sandstones of the Albert Formation. This would prove to be a significant find, because since that time, most of the exploration for oil and gas in New Brunswick has concentrated on the Albert formation.

Ownership and Surface Access
All oil and natural gas resources are owned by the Crown. Persons wishing to enter upon Crown lands or upon lands other than Crown lands for the purpose of exploring in any manner whatsoever for oil and natural gas must first obtain permission from the owner of such lands.

The Act and Regulations pertaining to oil and natural gas exploration can be obtained from the Department of Justice website.