en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Government of Canada has officially initiated a regional assessment for oil and gas exploration drilling in the Canada-Nova Scotia offshore area. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada has released the final Terms of Reference for this assessment, developed in consultation with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), and the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator (CNSOER), while incorporating input from Indigenous groups and the public. The Terms of Reference document outlines the assessment's objectives, purpose, scope, and expected outcomes, with the assessment work scheduled for completion in the second half of 2026.

The regional assessment aims to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the potential impacts of future offshore oil and gas exploration drilling projects in the area, thereby streamlining regulatory decision-making and enhancing environmental protection. The findings will help improve the efficiency of future project assessments while providing greater predictability and certainty for project proponents, stakeholders, and the public. This is the second regional assessment conducted in Nova Scotia, following the completion of a regional assessment on offshore wind energy development in 2025. A previous regional assessment for offshore oil and gas exploration drilling east of Newfoundland (completed in 2020) has already made federal environmental assessments more effective and efficient, and this assessment will build on the experience and knowledge gained from that prior work.