Across the Gulf of Maine in Nova Scotia, tension is building ahead of a decision due by month's end on whether to open for review and possible reversal a moratorium on petroleum exploration and drilling in the Canadian portion of Georges Bank.
But even if the provincial government decides against a new study of the pros and cons of drilling for oil and gas under the Canadian sector of the unique fishing grounds it shares with the United States, a spokesman for the Nova Scotia Department of Energy yesterday cautioned against drawing conclusions from that option.
"The decision whether or not to hold a public review is independent of whether to extend the moratorium," the department's Matt Lumley said in a telephone interview.
Energy Minister Bill Estabrooks was quoted in a story last month in the national news agency, The Canadian Press, as intrigued by possibilities of exploring for energy under Georges. Outside the Gulf of Maine basin most ocean areas are open to oil and gas development.
Read the complete story at The Gloucester Daily Times.