A draft law to permanently ban unconventional gas extraction was introduced in the Parliament of Victoria, a state in Australia.
The new law would be a win for food and farming sectors that campaigned against fracking over concerns of impacting the environment.
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The introduced bill, called Resources Legislation Amendment (Fracking Ban) Bill 2016, prohibits all onshore unconventional gas exploration and development in the state, including hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and coal seam gas.
The bill also extends the conventional onshore gas exploration and development moratorium to 30 June 2020.
The new bill amends the Petroleum Act 1998 and the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 to impose the permanent ban on fracking.
In 2015, the government formed a Parliamentary Inquiry into Onshore Unconventional Gas in Victoria, which received more than 1,600 submissions opposing onshore unconventional gas.
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By GlobalDataAhead of the bill being tabled in Parliament, Victoria Minister for Resources Wade Noonan said: “Victorians have resoundingly rejected fracking, and we’re putting an end to it.”
“It threatens the reputation of our vital agricultural sector and puts the state’s world-class food producers and regional economies at risk.”
The extension of moratorium to 2020 will enable experts to conduct scientific and technical studies on the risks, benefits and impacts of onshore conventional gas.
The bill is expected to be passed with the opposition’s support.
Shell chairman Andrew Smith was quoted by Goldcoastbulletin.com.au as saying: “It will cost jobs in factories across the state, jobs that will never come back, and will be felt by every Victorian household that turns on a gas heater in winter.”
