Canada’s New Brunswick province to regulate hydraulic fracturing

18 May 2012 03:32  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS)--The government of Canada’s New Brunswick province on Thursday put forward 116 proposals for changes to its rules for the oil and gas industry, focusing in particular on regulating shale gas exploration and hydraulic fracturing.

Under the proposals, the eastern Canadian province plans to impose chemical management requirements for fracture fluids and other chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing.

The measures, proposed in the form of a discussion paper, focus on protecting water and the environment, as well as communities and landowners.

In addition, the province plans to change its royalty scheme for the industry, and it plans to increase penalties against companies that violate its oil and natural gas regulations, it said.

The provincial government will receive comments on the discussion papers until 18 July. Further details are available on the New Brunswick government’s website.

Meanwhile, in the nearby northeastern US state of Vermont, the governor, Peter Shumlin, signed a bill banning hydraulic fracturing. Shumlin said the science behind the process was “uncertain at best”.

Additional reporting by Bobbie Clark

By: Stefan Baumgarten
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