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Government bill to lift fracking moratorium, uranium mining ban in N.S. clears final reading
The Nova Scotia government's plans to lift bans on uranium mining and exploration and a moratorium on fracking took a big step forward when Bill 6 cleared third reading at the legislature on Tuesday.
Premier Tim Houston laid the groundwork for the legislation earlier this year when he started touting the need for the province to capitalize on the potential of its natural resources and positioned his government as standing up to an unnamed group of special interests he said have held back progress.
The moratorium was established by a former Liberal government following extensive work by an independent review panel. That panel found that there was more work to do before fracking should be considered in the province — work that still has not been completed years later.
The government also faced sharp criticism from the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs for the lack of consultation with them even before the bill was tabled. Houston and L'nu Affairs Minister Leah Martin recently met with the chiefs following a public letter they released.
"The fact that the Mi'kmaw chiefs had to write a public letter asking for a meeting to be consulted is irresponsible and reprehensible on the part of this government," said New Democrat MLA Susan Leblanc. "It's shameful."
Liberal House leader Iain Rankin said it's disappointing that the government did not amend the fracking portion of its bill following feedback from the public that included 87 written submissions and 21 in-person presentations. |Read the rest of the article|
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You can see the videos of the presentations here, with thanks to Lindsay Lee.