New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt, Indigenous Affairs Minister Keith Chiasson (L), and Natural Resources Minister John Herron address reporters in Fredericton on Aug. 26, 2026. The Canadian Press/Eli Ridder
The New Brunswick government will review its 12-year moratorium on natural gas development, including whether it should be lifted, as the province looks for ways to strengthen its economy amid U.S. tariffs.
The five-month review will include technical analysis of current science, technology, and regulatory practices, as well as consultations with First Nations, municipalities, industry, stakeholders, and the public, the province said.
“This is not a green light to start getting drills in the ground,” Premier Susan Holt said at a press conference on Aug. 26.
“This is a deliberate five-month-long dialogue with many partners in our province, and with you as New Brunswickers, to determine whether this is something we want to move forward with together.”
Holt said the uncertainty surrounding trade with the United States means the province must consider all options for strengthening its economic autonomy and stability.
Natural Resources Minister John Herron said the moratorium has been in place for 12 years, while the science, technology, and development practices surrounding natural gas have evolved.
A significant part of the review will involve determining which methods and tools would be appropriate for developing natural gas within New Brunswick’s geology, he said.
In 2014, then-Liberal premier Brian Gallant imposed a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. Gallant established five conditions for lifting it, including obtaining “social licence” from residents and holding meaningful consultations with First Nations.
In 2019, a Progressive Conservative government created an exemption to the fracking ban in the Sussex area of southwestern New Brunswick.
That carve-out allowed natural gas extraction to continue supplying industrial users and maintain the existing infrastructure in the region.
Natural gas is known to exist in several parts of the province, with experts estimating that New Brunswick has about 72 trillion cubic feet of the resource, Herron said.
The Progressive Conservatives, which have ramped up calls for the ban to be removed, say they don’t trust Holt’s Liberal government to allow a large-scale return of the natural gas industry if the ban were removed.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
