Still a long way to go, however, this could be seen as a minor...

Still a long way to go, however, this could be seen as a minor victory to companies involved in shale gas exploration in Quebec's St. Lawrence Lowlands.

Industry on mission to promote Quebec shale gas drilling - August 30, 2010 7:02 PM

QUEBEC - The companies involved in shale gas exploration in Quebec's St. Lawrence Valley are launching a publicity campaign to convince Quebecers it is safe to drill.

The industry is facing a growing controversy in the province over this budding form of natural gas exploration, which requires the use of a lot of water.

Environmental groups and residents living near exploration sites have called for a moratorium on all current projects until stricter environmental rules are in place, but the government has refused to halt the projects and instead has launched an environmental study.

"We have noticed that the interest of the population is getting greater and greater every day," said Andre Caille, chairman of the Quebec Oil and Gas Association.

The organization, which represents 18 companies involved in shale gas drilling, will host town hall meetings in three municipalities located near exploration sites: Becancour, St-Edouard-de-Lotbiniere and St-Hyacinthe - through the end of September.

The cities are located on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City where there is a vast shale formation, called the Utica Shale. This promising formation could have the potential to supply as much as 500 million cubic feet of gas daily by 2020, Caille said.

He added that developing natural gas production would help create as many as 7,500 jobs over several years and be lucrative for the province.

Caille said the association hopes to convince those who have not yet made up their mind about shale gas drilling that it is safe and can be done in an environmentally friendly way.
"People have legitimate questions and we need to provide them with answers," Caille said.

Environmental groups such as Equiterre, the Association quebecoise de lutte contre la pollution atmospherique and Nature Quebec fear that getting shale gas out of the ground could pollute the air and water along the St. Lawrence Valley.

Among the technologies used to extract shale gas, there is one known as fracking. It involves a mixture of water, sand and chemicals being forced into deep shale formations at high pressure, fracturing the rock and releasing the gas.

Andre Belisle, of the Association quebecoise de lutte contre la pollution atmospherique, charges that fracking is a "dangerous" method that could affect the water supply and leave contaminated water once the gas is extracted.

Caille, however, rejected the claims and said the industry is operating under tight controls and regulations.

The government announced last weekend the province's environmental watchdog will hold public hearings into shale gas exploration this fall.

The report will be handed in to the government by Feb. 4 and Natural Resources Minister Nathalie Normandeau said she intends to introduce legislation next spring to regulate oil and gas production.