Canada: Nova Scotia moves to ban fracking

The province of Nova Scotia announced its plans to ban hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, this fall. The moratorium is not permanent but a timetable for the ban was not announced.

 Nova Scotia, an energy leader in Canada mainly due to its offshore oil and gas activity, intends to move to ban high-volume fracking for onshore oil and gas drilling. Recently, a government panel of experts recommended the ban while further research was conducted on the environmental, economic, and health & safety implications of fracking.

The Energy Minister Andrew Younger announced the ban, noting that “Nova Scotians have overwhelmingly expressed concerns about [fracking].” According to Younger, the ban is not permanent but he announced no timetable. The panel also recommended that local communities should be able to decide whether to allow fracking within their borders.

The energy industry criticized the ban. Fracking involves blasting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into a well bore to split the surrounding rock and release trapped hydrocarbons, usually natural gas, coal bed methane or crude oil.

Sources :  Timothy Cama, Canadian Province to ban fracking, The Hill, September 4, 2014

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