Proposed Rules For Exploration Work For Hydrocarbons On The Anticosti Island

On June 9, 2014, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources published in the Gazette officielle du Québec a draft Minister's Order setting out the conditions on which exploration work for petroleum and natural gas may be performed on Québec public land on the Anticosti Island. This Minister's Order may be made at the expiration of an exceptionally short delay of 20 days following the publication of its draft, considering the urgency to commence work as soon as the 2014 summer season.

Only stratigraphic survey may be carried out on the Anticosti Island. A licensee will be required to deliver to the Minister, for approval, at least 15 days prior to commencing the work, a detailed program of the work planned, a mitigation plan, an emergency measure plan and a plan to protect forests against fire, as well as a timetable for the road traffic caused. The licensee will be required to demonstrate that the work takes into account the regional and local geology.