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Georges Bank moratorium extended
The Canadian and Nova Scotia governments said they will extend by another three years a moratorium on Georges Bank, a rich and ecologically sensitive fishing ground that is believed to hold a large oil and gas deposit off both Nova Scotia and New England.
The 1988 moratorium was set to expire in 2012, but the governments said it will be extended to December 31, 2015, “to gather and develop information on the delicate Georges Bank ecosystem, particularly about fishing and petroleum activities and technologies.”
U.S. President Barack Obama had already stretched the moratorium on the U.S. side to 2017, although a decision to reverse that position could come as early as 2015.
Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter said any decision on the moratorium “could have significant economic and environmental impacts” on Nova Scotia, Canada and beyond.
“It is critical that government understands these impacts before such a decision is made,” he said.
Mark Butler, policy director for the Halifax, Nova Scotia-based Ecology Action center, said the extension was the “right thing to do for the fishery.”
“We have to get out of this endless cycle of studies and public consultations. While science and changes in the industry are important, the value of Georges Bank doesn’t change. We need to make a permanent decision to protect Georges Bank,” he said.
Moratorium being discussed before Gulf Nova Scotia Energy Minister Bill Estabrooks said the Gulf of Mexico blowout brought the issue of offshore drilling to the forefront of public attention, but the moratorium decision was already under consideration.
The Geological Survey of Canada has estimated the Canadian zone of Georges Bank has recoverable resources of 10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 2 billion barrels of oil.
Paul McEachern, managing director of the Offshore Technology Association of Nova Scotia, welcomed the government decision not to extend the ban beyond 2013.
“All we have ever asked for is a dispassionate scientific review,” he said. “If the government needs additional time to do that … let’s let the scientists do their analysis without undue pressure from any side.”
—Gary Park
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