Canada’s finance minister, Joe Oliver, is warning Nova Scotia that it could miss out on increased economic opportunities if it follows through with a ban on hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking.
Fracking forces pressurized water, sand and chemicals into layers of rock to release trapped oil and natural gas.
The province’s Liberal Party government said Wednesday it will introduce legislation this fall to prohibit fracking for onshore shale gas.
It cited a study that concluded that despite fracking’s potential economic benefits, significant uncertainty remains on risks to the environment and human health
The legislation would extend a two-year moratorium on fracking put in place in 2012 by the previous NDP government following public protests in Nova Scotia and neighbouring New Brunswick.
Provincial Energy Minister Andrew Younger did not say how long it would continue.
Mr. Oliver says over 175,000 wells using fracking have been drilled in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta without environmental consequences.
The decision also prompted criticism from industry groups. They say the process is safe and could result in big financial payoffs.
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