Quebec seeks fracking moratorium in shale gas rich area

OTTAWA (Reuters) – The Canadian province of Quebec, citing public concerns, unveiled a bill on Wednesday to impose a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, in a region rich in shale gas deposits. The province’s minority Parti Quebecois government needs opposition support to adopt the moratorium – which would last a maximum of five years. It would ban gas exploration and extraction in the Lowlands region of the St Lawrence River, site of the rich Utica and Lorraine shale gas formations. …