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Quebec environmental agency says shale gas exploration not worth the risk

A report from Quebec's environmental agency says there are too many potential negative consequences to the environment and to society from extracting natural gas from shale rock deposits along the St. Lawrence River.

Agency concludes there are too many potential negative consequences to go forward with exploration.

The Canadian Press ·
A new Quebec report says shale gas could pose harm to the environment. A Talisman Energy worker is seen here walking from a shale gas drilling rig in Saint-Edouard-de-Lotbiniere, Que. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

Quebec's environmental review board says shale gas exploration in the province is not worth the risk.

The agency report concludes there are too many potential negative consequences to the environment and to society from extracting natural gas from shale rock deposits along the St. Lawrence River.

The report cites risks to air and water quality, potential increases in noise and light pollution and says the deposits in the province are located in densely populated areas along the river.

In 2011, the Quebec government issued a moratorium on exploring for natural gas in the province until it finished an environmental assessment, which included the report published today.

The federal government said there are up to 300 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in shale deposits in Quebec and that before the moratorium, 31 exploration wells had been drilled between Montreal and Quebec City.
   

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