Government bill to lift fracking moratorium, uranium mining ban in N.S. clears final reading

Michael Gorman · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 5:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

The Nova Scotia government's plans to assistance bans connected uranium mining and exploration and a moratorium connected fracking took a large measurement guardant erstwhile Bill 6 cleared 3rd speechmaking astatine the legislature connected Tuesday.

Premier Tim Houston laid the groundwork for the authorities earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile helium started touting the request for the state to capitalize connected the imaginable of its earthy resources and positioned his authorities arsenic lasting up to an unnamed radical of peculiar interests helium said person held backmost progress.

Houston presented the abrupt argumentation displacement by his authorities arsenic a mode to marque Nova Scotia much financially self-sufficient successful the look of a commercialized warfare with the United States.

Speaking successful favour of the measure during statement astatine the legislature connected Tuesday, Energy Minister Trevor Boudreau said the state has a beardown way grounds of processing earthy resources portion being mindful of biology protection.

"We're already doing the probe present to update our regulations," helium said.

"We'll marque definite they bespeak today's champion practices and the advances of the past 10 years. When companies travel to the array with projects, we volition beryllium acceptable to regulate."

• Public pushes backmost against authorities measure that would assistance N.S. prohibition connected uranium mining, fracking

• N.S. Mi'kmaw chiefs accidental they should person been consulted connected earthy resources legislation

Boudreau said lifting the bans allows authorities officials to person "the pugnacious conversations" astir what does oregon doesn't marque consciousness successful the state and what tin oregon can't beryllium done safely.

But absorption members repeated concerns that person travel up passim statement connected Bill 6 and which members of the nationalist person besides advanced.

People person noted determination are nary bans successful spot connected the improvement of captious minerals, specified arsenic lithium. If thing has held that back, they've argued, it's been marketplace conditions and demand.

The determination to assistance the fracking moratorium, successful particular, has faced stiff nationalist pushback.

Concerns astir consultation

The moratorium was established by a former Liberal authorities pursuing extended enactment by an autarkic reappraisal panel. That sheet recovered that determination was much enactment to bash earlier fracking should beryllium considered successful the state — work that inactive has not been completed years later.

The authorities besides faced crisp disapproval from the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs for the deficiency of consultation with them adjacent earlier the bill was tabled. Houston and L'nu Affairs Minister Leah Martin precocious met with the chiefs pursuing a nationalist missive they released.

"The information that the Mi'kmaw chiefs had to constitute a nationalist missive asking for a gathering to beryllium consulted is irresponsible and reprehensible connected the portion of this government," said New Democrat MLA Susan Leblanc. "It's shameful."

Liberal House person Iain Rankin said it's disappointing that the authorities did not amend the fracking information of its measure pursuing feedback from the nationalist that included 87 written submissions and 21 in-person presentations.

"Not 1 of those presenters oregon adjacent written submissions spoke retired successful favour of ending the prohibition connected high-volume hydraulic fracturing successful the state arsenic it is today," helium said.

Houston has stressed that nary earthy assets improvement task volition spell ahead unless it's shown done a rigorous reappraisal process that it tin beryllium done successful a harmless mode that does not hazard the situation oregon people's health.