The Campaign to Protect Offshore Nova Scotia (CPONS) and the Council of Canadians are pleased with the federal government announcement today that it is banning offshore drilling in marine protected areas (MPAs). However, the groups are raising questions about whether the ban actually applies to current offshore drilling projects.
The organizations have been campaigning for a halt to offshore drilling in protected areas, so would welcome a ban that did so, but media reports indicate that “the prohibition won’t automatically apply to activities in fisheries conservation areas designated as marine refuges.”
“A ban on offshore drilling in protected areas needs to actually ban offshore drilling in protected areas. The federal government announcement today banning industrial activities in MPAs is a great first step, but the ban needs to include marine refuge areas,” says Marilyn Keddy with the Campaign to Protect Offshore Nova Scotia, a project of the South Shore Chapter of the Council Canadians.
The organizations continue to call for a full, independent public inquiry on offshore drilling.
