ATLANTIC

Majority favour ban or moratorium on fracking in Nova Scotia: discussion paper

THE CANADIAN PRESS Published Wednesday, July 2, 2014 4:03PM ADT

$Protesters gather outside the Nova Scotia legislature in Halifax to show their opposition to the use of hydraulic fracturing or fracking, on Friday, April 22, 2011. (Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS)$

Protesters gather outside the Nova Scotia legislature in Halifax to show their opposition to the use of hydraulic fracturing or fracking, on Friday, April 22, 2011. (Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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HALIFAX -- The majority of people who offered opinions for a report on hydraulic fracturing in Nova Scotia say they want the province to ban or maintain a moratorium on the disputed industry.

There were 238 individual submissions to an expert panel that's looking at the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in Nova Scotia.

Of those, 92 per cent said they supported a moratorium or ban, while 0.5 per cent were against such prohibitions.

The discussion paper will form the basis of a chapter in a report to be produced later this year by the independent panel.

The most common concern for respondents was the effect fracking could have on water resources, followed by perceived risks to infrastructure and local industries, such as farming and forestry.

Jennifer West of the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax says she was pleased the paper recommended government take a precautionary approach, consult the public and do more research on fracking.