Younger says fracking legislation not flawed
Posted Oct 7, 2014 07:16:56 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s energy minister says he disagrees with a coalition of environmental groups who say legislation that would ban hydraulic fracturing is seriously flawed.
The group has spoken out against the bill tabled last week, saying it has shortcomings.
It says by defining fracking in regulations rather than in the bill, the government is allowing the energy minister to make changes without public debate or a vote in the legislature.
But Energy Minister Andrew Younger said that’s not the case, adding that the province’s staff and lawyers have told him the appropriate place for the definition is in the regulations under the Canada Petroleum Resources Act.
Younger says the bill prohibits high-volume hydraulic fracturing in shale formations and regulations that would allow it cannot be passed.
The coalition also said the bill does not include a requirement for community consent before fracking is permitted, which was a key recommendation from an expert panel review done for the government.
But Younger said any regulatory changes require a 30-day public comment period.
