Québec, Montréal, Gaspé – Quebec's National Assembly has achieved an environmental milestone, announcing Act 21: a prohibition of new oil and gas exploration and the closure of existing drilling sites within three years.
The newly adopted legislation is the culmination of decades of dedicated work by environmental, citizen, student, and health organizations. It positions Quebec as the world's first jurisdiction to ban oil and gas development.
Under Quebec's law, the government assumes 75% of the costs associated with shutting down and rehabilitating the 62 sites scattered across the province. It also provides compensation to fossil fuel companies for any exploration permits granted after October 2015. The legislation represents a substantial step forward.
"The search for oil and gas is over, but we still have to deal with the legacy of these companies. Although the oil and gas industry did not flourish in Quebec, it left behind nearly a thousand wells that will have to be repaired, plugged, decontaminated and monitored in perpetuity. We now expect as much enthusiasm in the completion of these operations as in the adoption of Bill 21," Pascal Bergeron, spokesperson for Environnement Vert Plus, says to Equiterre.
In another statement shared with Equiterre, Martin Poirier, co-founder of Non à une marée noire dans le Saint-Laurent, says "This colossal victory allows us to turn a major page in the history of fossil fuels. It is above all a victory for the collective intelligence of civil society. It is an unprecedented gain for biodiversity that sends a message to the whole world. In Quebec, we have chosen the common good, the preservation of the planet. It is now up to us to continue our work as guardians of the territory so that this industry assumes its liabilities and also to seize this opportunity to increase the number of protected areas".
Quebec's ban on oil and gas exploration is a remarkable feat for environmental preservation. It is an honest reminder that dedicated efforts by by citizens, supported by determination and a will to achieve change, can bring about transformative impacts.
Source: Equiterre. "Quebec finally legally protected against the fossil fuel industry". https://www.equiterre.org/en/articles/le-quebec-enfin-protege-legalement-contre-lindustrie-des-energies-fossiles. April 12, 2022. [Accessed: April 14, 2022].
Edited by Manan Chordia.
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