Environment Minister Robert Mitchell tabled the much anticipated Water Act in legislature on Thursday.
Some of the highlights:
It would ban hydraulic fracturing for the purpose of exploring for or obtaining any oil or natural gas.
It also prohibits water exports from the Island, and would require all wells with a capacity greater than five gallons per minute to have a permit. That’s a change from the current 50 gallons a minute.
As for high-capacity wells, Mitchell says research is still being done, and they need that information to be able to move forward.
There will be some public consultations in the new year, and the regulations are likely a year away.