The Record: Nova Scotia’s premature action on fracking

Nova Scotia's government recently announced it would table legislation to establish a moratorium on the practice of hydraulic fracturing (or "fracking") for the production of natural gas in the province. The ban, which follows a lengthy report on the safety of hydraulic fracturing, is indefinite, but not permanent. (One is reminded of the saying that there is nothing more permanent than a temporary tax.).

Nova Scotia's Energy Minister Andrew Younger suggests Nova Scotia's gas resources (and investor interest) are limited, concluding there's little downside to the ban. Others disagree with the minister's estimate of potential frackable fuels in Nova Scotia. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that Nova Scotia has "In place" reserves of shale gas amounting to some 17 trillion cubic feet, with 3.4 trillion currently defined as recoverable. That's not going to blow Alberta or B.C.'s reserves out of the water, but it's nothing to sneeze at either.

What's more interesting, about the ban, is how little support it has even from two highly precautionary groups that have reviewed the safety of hydraulic fracturing in Canada. Most proximal to the ban would be the report by the Nova Scotia Independent Panel on Hydraulic Fracturing which observes
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