Government to Prohibit Hydraulic Fracturing

Energy Minister Andrew Younger announced today, Sept. 3, the government of Nova Scotia will introduce legislation this fall to prohibit high volume hydraulic fracturing for onshore shale gas.

"Nova Scotians have overwhelmingly expressed concern about allowing high volume hydraulic fracturing to be a part of onshore shale development in this province at this time," said Mr. Younger. "Our petroleum resources belong to Nova Scotians, and we must honour the trust people have put in us to understand their concerns. We will therefore introduce legislation to prohibit using this technique to stimulate onshore shale projects."

The decision comes after considering comments submitted by many Nova Scotians over the past 10 months, as well as studies, including an independent review commissioned by the government of Nova Scotia, and the recent Council of Canadian Academies' report for the federal government.

The minister and government have also received input from Mi'kmaq communities in a variety of ways.

"I also spoke this morning with Mi'kmaq Chiefs Paul Prosper, Terrance Paul, and Sidney Peters and they expressed support for the government's decision to prohibit hydraulic fracturing operations in shale petroleum developments," said Mr. Younger. "Our cabinet met with the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs earlier this year and this was among the issues discussed at that time.

"The first onshore well in Nova Scotia was drilled in 1869 and petroleum development remains an important part of our energy and economic future. Coal gas methane projects, such as the current well-supported project in Stellarton, and developing our offshore resources remain key priorities of government."

All submissions, presentations, and documents for the hydraulic fracturing review are available at www.cbu.ca/hfstudy .

The hydraulic fracturing report is available at http://energy.novascotia.ca/oil-and-gas/onshore/hydraulic-fracturing-review .