NS energy minister hopes to make decision on fracking within month – The Telegram
Andrew Younger wouldn’t comment on the 387-page report because he needs time to read it, but he said the public deserves a response within a “reasonable time frame,” adding he hopes to have a decision before the legislature resumes Sept. 25.
The report by David Wheeler, the president of Cape Breton University, says fracking shouldn’t be allowed until more independent research is done on health, environmental and economic impacts.
“Based on the analysis described in this report a significant period of learning and dialogue is now required … and thus hydraulic fracturing for the purpose of unconventional gas and oil development should not proceed at the present time in Nova Scotia,” says the report, which comes after a six-month study.
The main finding isn’t a surprise, after Wheeler told public hearings last month that the province needed more time to catch up with the rapidly expanding industry.
A two-year moratorium on fracking was put in place by the previous NDP government in 2012. Younger said there is no deadline on the moratorium because it was a policy decision that was not set in legislation.
“When we respond we will be able to say what the future of hydraulic fracturing is in Nova Scotia,” said Younger.
