A moratorium on the exploration and mining of uranium in Nova Scotia has been turned into law by the provincial government. The ban has been in place since 1981, but was only in the form of a cabinet policy statement. The formerly temporary moratorium cannot now be relaxed or altered without repealing the law by bringing it back for reconsideration by the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly. The law marks a victory for activists who have fought for years to ban uranium mining in the province in the face of heavy lobbying from the uranium mining industry.